
Class J : . 

Book . 4* 

Copyrights? 

COBXRiGHT DEPOSm 



ENGLISH 

FOR 

IMMEDIATE USE 



BY 

FREDERICK HOUK LAW 

HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL 
NEW YORK CITY 



CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON 

ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO 



TE mi 

,L3<? 



COPTHIGHT, 1921, BT 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 



§>CI.A630231 



THE SCRIBNER PRESS 
A 

NOV 1 2 1921 



PREFACE 

Most pupils have not the faintest wish to cultivate 
literary style, or to become writers of books. The 
great majority of pupils in secondary schools will not 
even enter college: they will go out at once into the 
work of the world. Most pupils say frankly that they 
do not intend to give their days and nights to the study 
of Addison, and that they would not write like Ad- 
dison, if they could. They do wish earnestly to make 
themselves understood, and they would like to talk 
and to write in a way that commands attention. 
They have no desire to master periodic structure; 
they care nothing for balance and antithesis as methods 
of expression. All that they wish is to make instant 
appeal to their fellows. It is to aid them in fulfilling 
the ordinary daily needs and desires that this book has 
been written. 

For all pupils in American schools English is the prin- 
cipal medium of self-expression. Through that medium, 
every day, they reveal their needs, their desires, their 
emotions, and all of their numerous reactions in life. 
They live in the days when they speak and write: they 
are not waiting to live in some far-off future. They are 
eager to express themselves; they are talkative, chat- 
ter-boxes, whisperers, writers of blackboard satires, 
composers of diminutive periodicals; they are intensely 
interested in the unusual, ready to laugh at the ridic- 
ulous, quick to resent wrong or injustice, swept by 
varied emotions; they are keen observers of character 

iii 



iv PREFACE 

and ardent in their admiration of honor, truth, and 
right. In many ways, indeed, school pupils live far 
more intensely than they will ever live again. The 
language and the style of speech and writing that they 
need for the daily expression of their actual living are 
the language and the style of speech and writing that 
they should be taught. 

Pupils in secondary schools are not at all interested 
in scholarly classifications or nomenclatures. To them, 
as a rule, formal rhetoric is a burden and anathema. 
In their actual living, aside from doing so at the com- 
mand of teachers, they seldom, if ever, sit down to 
write ' ' narration, ' ' " description, " ^ " exposition, ' ' or 
"argument" as such. They try to make known their 
desires, to tell what they have seen and heard, to utter 
opinions and to support them, to make recitations, to 
write answers in examinations, and to express them- 
selves in other ways in actual daily living. 

Since the expressional needs of pupils, instead of the 
customary lines of formal rhetoric, have been followed, 
the Table of Contents shows an entirely new line of at- 
tack. Such subjects as the following appear: Telling 
the News, Telling a Joke, Writing a Story for the School 
Paper, Giving Information, Making a Recitation, Writ- 
ing an Examination Paper, Reporting What Was Said, 
Giving an Opinion, Making a Request. At the same 
time the book includes all the types of composition 
work that are generally taught in secondary schools. 
It includes grammar, diction, the types of discourse, 
the methods of paragraph development, figures of 
speech, punctuation, and all that it is customary to 
include in books on English composition, — but it uses 



PREFACE V 

such material in a new way and for an immediate and 
practical purpose. 

English for Immediate Use is exactly what its title 
indicates — a book designed to give to secondary-school 
pupils instruction in the speaking and in the writing 
of English in fulfilment of their immediate expres- 
sional needs. The book may be used to advantage in 
junior high schools or in any grade of the high school. 

This book is the product of many years of class- 
room work with both boys and girls in large city 
schools. It is the product of work with classes not 
bound down by college-entrance requirements, by 
State or city syllabi, or by any set courses of study. 
The methods emphasized in the book have been sur- 
prisingly successful and have produced the best results 
in a remarkably short time. Without giving pupils 
the impression that composition work is a burden the 
methods here set forth have led young writers to the 
attainment of power in self-expression, and to the 
development of a high degree of originality both in 
substance and in style. 

One of the notable features of English for Immediate 
Use is that it gives nearly two hundred and fifty sepa- 
rate and distinct exercises for class work, and nearly 
three thousand suggestions for composition subjects. 
Since good oral work usually precedes good written 
work a great number of exercises call for oral composi- 
tion. 

The suggestions for composition subjects are drawn 
from all the parts of school life, from the fields of in- 
terest close at hand, from the pupils' past experiences, 
from home and community life, from such business 



vi PREFACE 

experiences as pupils are likely to have had, and from 
books that pupils may read either in the school or in 
the home. Many of the suggestions call for the read- 
ing of good periodicals, the consulting of works of 
reference, and for some understanding of such of the 
great modern problems as secondary-school pupils can 
appreciate. 

The entire book emphasizes actual self-expression, 
originality, and thought, rather than the memorizing 
of classifications and rules, or the imitation of style. 
Purposeful writing creates its own style: it does not 
need to imitate. 

The greater number of quotations given in illustra- 
tion of the principles taught are from the ordinary 
written work of school pupils or from the columns of 
school periodicals. It would have been easy to find 
illustrative examples in the writings of well-known au- 
thors, but classroom practice shows that the exhibi- 
tion and the reading aloud of good written work done 
by pupils does more to stimulate good writing than 
does the exhibition and the reading aloud of quotations 
from great authors. Pupils are always eager to equal 
or to surpass the work of one of their own number. 

Here and there in the book are extracts from famous 
writers, given as examples of a more polished and more 
mature style than most pupils can hope to attain. In 
nearly every case these extracts are from the familiar 
English classics studied in all schools. 

Many of the exercises suggest group or class criti- 
cism of the work done by individuals. They call for 
the appointment of judges or committees, and for the 
public exhibition of excellent work. They suggest, in 



PREFACE vii 

some cases, the method of the contest, and the award- 
ing of special honors to those who excel in writing. 

The teacher will do well, on every possible occasion, 
to call for writing in accordance with the suggestions 
made in the various exercises. Above all, the teacher 
should insist that all writing be purposeful, and that 
the pupil try to do one thing, and one thing only, at a 
time, and to do that well. The writing of many com- 
paratively short and highly purposeful compositions 
will do more for a pupil than will the writing of a few 
occasional long compositions. 

Immediate classroom criticism, given by both teacher 
and class, will do away with the temptation to spend 
many hours in reading long themes or in marking pain- 
fully with red ink or blue pencil. Immediate class 
criticism is far more effective than red ink. 

If the book is to fulfil its purpose it must be used in 
such a way that it will make all composition work not 
only reflect but also stimulate the lives of the pupils. 
Its best work will be done if the teacher calls frequently 
for written work, and if he constantly emphasizes the 
necessity of making class appeal. 



CONTENTS 

LESSON PAGE 

I. Telling the News 1 

II. Reporting for the School Paper ... 15 

III. Telling a Joke 35 

IV. Writing a Story for the School Paper 42 
V. How to Make Your Stories Interesting 60 

VI. Making a Recitation 76 

VII. Writing a Composition 83 

VIII. Outlining 96 

IX. Beginning a Composition 102 

X. Arousing Interest 107 

XI. Developing and Paragraphing .... 113 

XII. Making Thought Clear 124 

XIII. Making Comparisons 131 

XIV. Making Contrasts 137 

XV. Giving an Illustration 141 

XVI. Making Quotations 151 

ix 



x CONTENTS 

LESSON PAGH 

XVII. Repeating for Emphasis .... 156 

XVIII. Making Expression Beautiful . . 160 

XIX. Condensing 165 

XX. Ending a Composition 171 

XXI. Correcting a Composition .... 177 

XXII. Punctuating 183 

XXIII. The Final Copy 193 

XXIV. Writing an Examination Paper . . 197 
XXV. Investigating . 208 

XXVI. Giving Information 215 

XXVII. Telling a Bit of History .... 226 

XXVIII. Listening 234 

XXIX. Reporting What Was Said. ... 237 

XXX. Making People See for Themselves . 241 

XXXI. Presenting a Situation . . . . 250 

XXXII. Making People Appreciate . . . 255 

XXXIII. Telling about a Man's Life . . . 261 

XXXIV. Telling about Character .... 272 
XXXV. Writing a Meditation 281 

XXXVI. Giving an Opinion 288 

XXXVII. Enforcing Opinion 295 



CONTENTS xi 

LESSON PAGE 

XXXVIII. Criticising 304 

XXXIX. Proving a Point 312 

XL. Debating 320 

XLI. Making a Request 327 

XLII. Gaining an Opportunity .... 334 

XLIII. Persuading 341 

XLIV. Introducing 345 

XLV. Recommending 348 

XLVI. Buying 350 

XLVII. Selling 357 

XLVIII. Advertising 364 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

LESSON I 

TELLING THE NEWS 
THE JOY OF TELLING SOMETHING NEW 

Everybody's Lonesome is the title of an interesting 
story that emphasizes a great truth. Everybody is 
lonesome. Everybody wishes for companionship, — for 
communication with the rest of the world. Everybody 
thinks of solitary confinement as a most dreadful form 
of punishment. People love to gather in groups, or to 
live in villages, or in the companionship of great cities. 

Wherever people gather they tell one another what 
has happened, what new experiences have come to 
them, what events have made their lives interesting. 
"Well, what's the news?" is a common greeting. "To 
tell the news" is one of the delights of life, — just as 
much as "to learn the news" is another. Probably 
it is more delightful to tell news than it is to learn 
news, — to tell some one else of the interesting events 
you have experienced, — to make some other human 
being interested in what interests you. If you were 
absolutely prohibited from speaking to any one for a 
whole day, you would be most unhappy. 

Much of the talk of young people is "telling the 
news," telling what has happened, or what has been 
experienced. 

l 



2 ENGLISH 

INCOHERENT NEWS-TELLING 

Too often, news-telling is incoherent. It fails to 
tell the news. A boy rushes up to another and says: 

" Oh ! Say ! I tell you ! It was great ! " 

"What was?" 

"Ob! you should have seen it! It was the best yet!" 

"Why?" 

"There was never anything like it ! He put it across every 
time!" 

"Who did?" 

"Jim did! You should have heard the yelling! Wasn't 
it fine!" 

Such exclamations reveal feeling but they do not 
tell the news. 

PROFESSIONAL NEWS-TELLING 

Now look at the following sentences taken from The 
New York Times, one of the best of the many good 
newspapers printed in the United States. 

" In memory of their forty-eight fallen comrades, the veterans 
of Company D, 307th Infantry Regiment, of the Seventy- 
Seventh Division, planted a young oak-tree in Central Park 
yesterday afternoon." 

"Eddie Mayo, veteran Brooklyn A. A, distance runner, 
celebrated his return to local competition yesterday by racing 
to victory in the opening road run of the Long Island Athletic 
League, held under the auspices of the Swedish-American A.C., 
over the Prospect Park course of about five miles, in Brooklyn." 

"Anthony Young and David Lands, members of Newark's 
leading cycling club, the Bayview Wheelmen, won the forty- 
mile amateur team race, which brought the bicycle racing 
season to a close at the Velodrome this afternoon." 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 3 

" Al Sands, City College cross-country runner, who sports the 
Morningside A.C. emblem in open A.A.U. competition, carried 
the winged M. to victory yesterday in the first Intersectional 
Athletic League handicap cross-country race ever held over the 
Van Cortlandt Park course of six miles." 

"A concert given at Ellis Island yesterday afternoon was 
heard by nearly 3,000 aliens from all parts of Europe and the 
Near East, including 150 stowaways awaiting deportation." 

Every sentence tells a bit of news, — and tells the 
news 

1 QUICKLY 

2 CLEARLY 

3 COMPLETELY 

4 BRIEFLY 

Notice, also, that every sentence answers most of 
the following questions: 

1 WHO? 

2 WHAT? 

3 WHERE? 

4 WHEN? 

5 WHY? 

6 HOW? 

PRACTICAL NEWS-TELLING 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: TELLING NEWS 

1 Apply the six questions to every one of the news items just given. 
Explain how every question is answered. 

2 Now try to imitate the newspaper method of telling the news 
quickly, clearly, completely, and briefly. Think of some recent event 
that deeply interested you. Tell about that event so clearly and so 
fully that no one will ask "who?" "what?" "where?" "when?" 
"why?" or "how?" Name first the point that interested you most. 



4 ENGLISH 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: THE NEWS GAME 

Appoint a Class Chairman, and a Committee of Judges. Then take 
turns in telling orally, and in every case in a single sentence, the most 
important news under the heads given below. 

Tell, first of all, the most interesting feature of the news, — the most 
important point. Sometimes that point will be a name; sometimes a 
place; sometimes an event; sometimes the circumstances under which 
an event occurred, or the time of its occurrence, — or the cause, or the 
effect. Whatever the most interesting feature is, tell that feature first. 
Interest your reader with the very first word. 

The students who tell the news most quickly, clearly, completely, 
and briefly, — answering most of the six questions, "who?" "what?" 
"where?" "when?" "why?" and "how?" will be called winners, 
and will be excused from one written exercise. 

1 The last game » 16 A reprimand 

2 A brave act 17 An award of honor 

3 A quick action 18 An election 

4 An accident 19 An excursion 

5 An unexpected occurrence 20 A debate 

6 A party 21 A visit 

7 A dance 1 22 A journey* 

8 An assembly* 23 A loss 

9 A club meeting 24 A fire 

10 A parade 25 An argument 

11 An outing \ 26 A lesson 

12 A track meet 27 An introduction * 

13 A recitation 28 A good time * 

14 A speech 29 A victory 

15 An examination 30 A graduation 

PRACTICAL NEWS-WRITING 

When you have practised telling the news orally, 
and at the same time quickly, clearly, completely, and 
briefly, try next to write the news in the same way. 

First, think what you have to do. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 5 

1 You must name the most important point, or 

"feature," first. 

2 You must name a subject. 

3 Sometimes you must use adjectives to explain 

your subject or to show that it is important. 

4 You must name the place of action. 

5 You must name the time of action. 

6 You must tell something new and interesting 

about your subject, or about the events that 
affected your subject. 

7 You must use as few words as possible. 

8 You must combine your words into well-formed 

sentences. 

9 In order to avoid writing a series of short sen- 

tences, you must use well-placed words, 
phrases, and clauses. 
10 You must tell interesting details. 

Now let us see just how you can write effectively. 
Look at this paragraph of short sentences: 

Nina Safarik plays the violin. She plays it well. She plays 
remarkably well. She is in the junior class. She was born in 
Bohemia. She played in the school auditorium Wednesday 
evening. She had not played in the school before for five 
or six months. In that time she studied and practised a 
great deal. She played one of her own compositions. She 
had composed the selection in honor of the school. It was the 
first time the piece was played in public. Miss Safarik did 
not play alone. She was assisted by an orchestra. There 
were twenty members in the orchestra. The leader of the 
orchestra was Mr. Dean. He is our teacher of music. The 
auditorium was crowded. Many friends of the school were 
there. Miss Safarik was applauded enthusiastically. 



6 ENGLISH 

Such a paragraph does not tell the news quickly, 
clearly, completely, and briefly. It is a paragraph that 
is difficult to read. It is both confusing and uninter- 
esting. 

METHODS OF CONDENSATION 

Bring your thoughts together in condensed form 
by using: 

1 Single words in place of phrases, clauses, or 

sentences 

2 Appositives 

3 Participles 

4 Adjective Phrases 

5 Adverbial Phrases 

6 Adjective Clauses 

7 Adverbial Clauses 

1 Condense by using single words in place of phrases, 
clauses, or sentences. 

A single word sometimes says all that a phrase or a 
clause says. 

Not condensed: 

Nina Safarik plays the violin. She plays it well. 
She plays remarkably well. 

Condensed : 

Nina Safarik plays the violin remarkably well. 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING SINGLE WORDS IN PLACE 
OF PHRASES, CLAUSES, OR SENTENCES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using single 
words in place of phrases, clauses, or sentences: 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 7 

1 The girl is a new student. She came from Philadelphia. 

She is in the third year. 

2 The batter knocked a foul ball. The ball hit a spectator. 

The unfortunate man stood too near the side lines. 

3 The book lay on the table. It was Shakespeare's Twelfth 

Night. It was bound in soft red leather. It had a most 
attractive appearance. 

B. Tell a short item of news without using any 
unnecessary words. 

2 Condense by using appositives. 

An appositive is a noun added to explain another 
noun that has just been named. 

Not condensed: 

Nina Safarik plays the violin remarkably well. She is in 
the junior class. 

Condensed: 

Nina Safarik, a junior, plays the violin remarkably well. 

4 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING APPOSITIVES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using 
appositives: 

1 The pitcher was an untried player. He surprised every one 

by pitching the best game of the season. 

2 The baseball field was really only an open lot. It was not 

at all a good place for the game. 

3 Lew Wallace is the author of Ben Hur. He gave excellent 

service in the army during the Civil War. 

B. Tell a short item of news. Make use of an 
appositive. 



8 ENGLISH 

3 Condense by using participles. 

A participle is a word that expresses action and at 
the same time tells something concerning a noun or 
any word that takes the place of a noun. In other 
words, a participle is an adjective derived from a verb. 

Not condensed: 

Miss Safarik played in the school auditorium, Wednesday 
evening. She was assisted by an orchestra. 

Condensed : 

Miss Safarik, assisted by an orchestra, played in the school 
auditorium Wednesday evening. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING PARTICIPLES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using 
participles: 

1 The principal has encouraged athletics. The teachers 

have helped him in every way possible. 

2 The school last year sent out a winning team. It was able 

to do this because it was so well supported by its friends. 

3 The actors in our last play were coached by a professional 

actor. They gave an excellent performance. 

B. Tell a short item of news. Make use of a 
participle. 

4 Condense by using adjective phrases. 

An adjective phrase is a group of words, without 
subject and predicate, used as an adjective. 
Not condensed: 

Miss Safarik was assisted by an orchestra. There were 
twenty members in the orchestra. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 9 

Condensed: 

Miss Safarik was assisted by an orchestra of twenty members. 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING ADJECTIVE PHRASES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using 
adjective phrases: 

1 Seven books were given to a first-term boy. The books 

were given as a prize. They contained humorous stories. 
Every story was written by an American author. 

2 One of our graduates will make a speech. It will be a 

speech of welcome. 

3 Reserved seats will cost only fifty cents. They will be in 

the first four rows. 

B. Tell a short item of news. Make use of an ad- 
jective phrase. 

5 Condense by using adverbial phrases. 
An adverbial phrase is a group of words, without 
subject and predicate, used as an adverb. 
Not condensed: 

Miss Safarik did not play alone. An orchestra assisted her. 

Condensed: 

Miss Safarik was assisted by an orchestra. 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING ADVERBIAL PHRASES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using 
adverbial phrases: 

1 The club was very successful. It carried out all the work 
it planned. 



10 ENGLISH 

2 The examinations will be held as usual this year. They 

will be given in the third week in June. 

3 The speaker said that a sailor learns a great deal. He said 

that travel takes the place of school and college. 

B. Tell a short item of news. Make use of an 
adverbial phrase. 

6 Condense by using adjective clauses. 

An adjective clause is a group of words, with a sub- 
ject and a predicate, used as an adjective. 
Not condensed: 

She played one of her own compositions. She had composed 
the selection in honor of the school. 

Condensed : 

She played an original composition that she had composed ir^ 
honor of the school. 

8 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING ADJECTIVE CLAUSES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using ad- 
jective clauses: 

1 He broke his leg a year ago. Yesterday he broke the same 

leg again. 

2 They were the ones who played best of all. They prac- 

tised faithfully. 

3 She lost the medal. She won it at the speaking contest a 

year ago. 

B. Tell a short item of news. Make use of an 
adjective clause. 

7 Condense by using adverbial clauses. 

An adverbial clause is a group of words, with a sub- 
ject and a predicate, used as an adverb. 



• 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 11 

Not condensed: 

She played an original composition that she had composed 
in honor of the school. Because of this she was at once ap- 
plauded enthusiastically. 

Condensed: 

When she played an original composition that she had composed 
in honor of the school f she was applauded enthusiastically. 

9 ORAL EXERCISE: CONDENSING BY USING ADVERBIAL CLAUSES 

A. Condense the following sentences by using ad- 
verbial clauses: 

1 The audience interrupted him with applause. He was then 

speaking about the early settlers of the town. 

2 The class did not understand at first. Finally the teacher 

told a story. Then every one saw the point. 

3 The path was tramped down hard. Hundreds of people 

had been over it that day. 

B. Tell a short item of news. Make use of an 
adverbial clause. 

ADDING INTERESTING DETAILS 

Bearing in mind the seven principles of condensation, 
prepare to write one or two sentences on any one of 
the topics named in Oral Exercise 2. Try to say as 
much as possible in as few words as possible. 

First, be sure to tell your news quickly, clearly, 
completely, and briefly. Then, if you wish, add inter- 
esting explanatory details. Add anything that will 
increase the interest of the reader or that will help him 
to understand what you say. 



12 ENGLISH 

The following newspaper sentence tells news about 
a fight with a bear. 

"In a fight at close quarters with a large black bear, on a 
ledge high up on Blue Mountain in a snow-storm, two deer 
hunters came off uppermost Saturday morning." 

The sentence tells the news quickly, clearly, com- 
pletely, and briefly. The writer's interest in the sub- 
ject makes him wish to tell something more. Here is 
that something more, — the body of details that increase 
interest and clearness. 

"The hunters were John Frisbie, of Constable, N. Y., and 
Charles Lovett, New York Correspondent for a St. Louis paper. 
They were members of a party of ten hunters of deer, who had 
been driving for game through the Blue, West, and Rice 
Mountain ranges for ten days. 

Lovett was armed with a repeating rifle of heavy caliber, 
and had fired three shots into the bear at close range when his 
gun jammed. Practically cornered, the hunter had only a 
hunting knife, and the gun to use as a club, as the enraged 
wounded bear approached as if to attack him. 

Frisbie, attracted by the shooting, peered over a ledge just 
above when only a rock separated Lovett from the animal. 
Frisbie, using an automatic rifle, poured a stream of lead at the 
bear, and one bullet crashed through its head, killing it in- 
stantly. 

Many large deer have been killed in these mountains since 
the season opened on October 15, but this is the first bear 
killed in this district this season." 

10 WRITTEN EXERCISE: THE NEWS CONTEST 

Select any one of the topics named in Oral Exercise 2. Write first 
a quick, clear, complete, and brief account of the news. Then add a 
few interesting explanatory details. The teacher will place the best 
accounts on the class bulletin-board. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



13 



11 WRITTEN EXERCISE: THE NEWS DETAIL CONTEST 

The following headings will suggest interesting news that you would 
like to tell to some one. Write well-formed, condensed, and interest- 
ing accounts of news, telling not only the news, but also interesting 
details. Make a definite effort to make your reader interested. The 
teacher will read to the class the accounts that give the most interesting 
and the most pertinent details. 

1 New work to be taken up in class 

2 Present plans for school athletics 

3 Recent changes in school regula- 

tions 

4 An approaching social event 

5 An unexpected bit of fun 

6 A good joke on the teacher 

7 What happened at lunch time 

8 The cause of the quarrel 

9 A lucky escape 

10 Why I was late 

11 How he escaped being caught 

12 The one who is to blame 

13 She got what she deserved 

14 A noisy time 

15 What woke up the class 

12 WRITTEN EXERCISE: 

The members of the class will clip from papers short items that tell 
news of a most unusual nature. The teacher will appoint an "Editor" 
to arrange all the items in a column to be called "News Oddities." 
The "Editor" should post the column on the class bulletin-board. 



16 


What the child did 


17 


The accident 


18 


How we found it 


19 


Lost! 


20 


Making fudge 


21 


Getting even 


22 


A just complaint 


23 


Where the money was 


24 


The theft 


25 


A laboratory prank 


26 


How mother found it 




out 


27 


Wanted ! an umbrella 


28 


A bit of detective work 


29 


A queer mistake 


30 


Caught in the act 


UNUSUAL NEWS 



13 WRITTEN EXERCISE: UNUSUAL SCHOOL NEWS 

The members of the class will write short items that tell school news 
of a most unusual nature. The items may concern any school. The 
teacher will appoint an "Editor" to arrange all the items in a form 
that can be posted on the class bulletin-board. 



14 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



14 WRITTEN EXERCISE: THE NEWS LETTER 

Write a letter to a distant friend, telling your friend one or more of 
the items of news suggested above, — or any other news that would really 
interest your friend. Make an attempt to tell every item quickly, 
clearly, completely, and briefly. Try to make every word that you 
write interest your friend. Omit everything that does not add to 
interest. 

The proper form for a friendly letter is as follows: 



438 North Main Street, 
East Orange, N. J., 
November 18, 1921. 



Dear Cousin Henry: 



Very sincerely, 



Charles. 



15 ORAL EXERCISE: GIVING A "NEWS TALK" 
Give a "news talk" in which you tell what you have learned con- 



cerning the telling of news, 
practise the telling of news, 
and to be brief. 



Every day, in school and out of school, 
Try to be interesting, to be complete, 



LESSON II 

REPORTING FOR THE SCHOOL PAPER 

THE SCHOOL PAPER 

Nearly every school has a school paper, but not every 
school has the proper number of reporters. Wherever 
there is a school paper, there should be as many re- 
porters as there are students in the school. Every 
pupil is important, and every one learns every day 
some bit of news that is worth the telling. 

Even if there is no school paper there are always 
local papers that will be glad to print interesting items 
about the school. 

It is great fun to write for any publication. There 
is rare pleasure in seeing your own words in print, — in 
realizing that you are, in some sense, an author. 

A CLASS PAPER 

It is both easy and interesting to make a pen-written 
paper of your own. You can make such a paper as 
large or as small as you please. You can write and 
arrange your own items of news. You can emphasize 
just what you wish to emphasize. You can use pic- 
tures or drawings to illustrate any article you please. 
You can have all the fun of owning and editing a paper 
without ever having a single word printed. 

Write out the news on a single sheet of good, white 
paper, — or on two sheets, — or on three or more, in 
accordance with a preconceived plan. Write all your 
articles in the clearest of handwriting or in neatly 

15 



16 ENGLISH 

printed letters, — or else typewrite the entire paper. 
Imitate the form and the appearance of a regularly- 
printed paper. Arrange the items, if you wish, in the 
form of columns, in imitation of printed columns. 
Add original or clipped pictures, properly set in borders 
or " boxes.' ' Plan to leave room for a well-lettered, 
appropriate title for your paper, and for proper head- 
ings for all the articles. When you have completed 
your work post the paper on your class bulletin-board. 

THE FIRST RULE FOR ALL REPORTING 

The first great rule in reporting for any paper is: 
TELL THE TRUTH 

Write only that news of whose truth you are positive. 
Don't guess at any news. Don't write down what 
may or may not be true. Write only that which you 
know as well as though you had proved it by mathe- 
matics, — or else say frankly in your item that your 
report is only hearsay. 

Write your news items so that they will make your 
readers know the truth. Don't write sentences that 
may be misunderstood. It is just as bad to give a 
false impression as it is to write falsely. 

Tell all there is to be told that is at all important, 
but tell it briefly. Half a truth is often misleading. 

Notice the clearness, completeness, and brevity of 
the following item: 

The Eastern Cross-Country Team took exactly seventeen 
minutes to defeat the Western Team on the two-and-a-half 
mile course at Van Cortlandt Park Saturday, November 9, 
by a score of nineteen to thirty-eight. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 17 

MAKE YOUR NEWS INTERESTING 

Write news that will be a little different from the 
ordinary news. Make your readers wake up, as it 
were, and begin to read with new interest. Don't 
write commonplace, uninteresting items that do noth- 
ing but fill space. 

Notice how the news of victory is told in an unusual 
manner in the following item from a school paper: 

"I am glad that another plaque will adorn the trophy case 
of Stuyvesant!" exclaimed Benjamin Van Veen, when it was 
announced that he had won first place in the sixth Colgate 
University Interscholastic Extemporaneous Speaking Contest, 
which was held in the Commercial High School auditorium on 
Friday evening before Easter week. 

This is the second time in Stuyvesant's history, and also the 
second consecutive time, that Stuyvesant gained first place in 
this notable annual contest. 

For his efforts Van Veen was awarded a medal with a Col- 
gate seal, and given the honor of representing Greater New 
York in the Inter-State Contest. 

Without doubt the unusual nature of the news in 
the following item led the editors of a school paper to 
print it: 

Here's a high school without a ball team! Out of twelve 
hundred students in a certain nameless but important school 
only 146 agreed to buy season tickets to support the baseball 
team. And of these, 105 were girls ! There will be no base- 
ball team in that school ! 

WRITE NEWS THAT IS IMPORTANT 

Write items that will have real interest for the 
people who will read them. Think, before you write, 
what sort of subjects your readers are really interested 



18 ENGLISH 

in. If they are interested in football, baseball, swim- 
ming, social life, games, experiments, or books, write 
about such subjects. If they are interested in science, 
in inventions, in machinery, or in adventure and ex- 
ploration, or in any other subject, write about those 
subjects. Don't write unimportant news in which few 
take interest. 
Here is an item that at once shows its importance: 

The Attitude of the Earl of Chatham, Edmund Burke and 
Charles James Fox toward the American Colonists, is the subject 
of an essay contest that is now being conducted by "The Sons 
of the American Revolution/' whose headquarters are at 
Fraunce's Tavern. The contest is for seniors only, and will 
close February 1. $50.00, $30.00, and $15.00, with bronze 
medals as well, will be awarded respectively to the writers of 
the best three essays. 

GIVE NEW INFORMATION 

Write news that has not been recorded before. If 
your paper publishes the following item in one num- 
ber, it is unwise to print the item, or nearly the same 
item, in two or three succeeding numbers: 

The Biology Club meets every Wednesday in its headquarters 
on the third floor. All students who are interested are invited 
to attend the meetings. The officers are as follows: 

President, — James Bailey 

Vice-President, — Manfred Arleson 

Secretary, — Harry Whately 

If you wish to write anything at all about "The 
Biology Club" write something new. Tell what the 
club has done recently, or what it proposes to do. 
Perhaps such an item would be as follows: 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 19 

The Biology Club, during the past week, received for its use 
three expensive microscopes. The members of the club are 
now busily preparing slides. The members of the club will be 
glad to exhibit the microscopes, and the slides that have been 
made thus far. The room is open every day from 3 to 4 p. m. 

FOLLOW CURRENT INTERESTS 

Write news that will be timely, and that will have 
current significance. In the football season, if your 
readers are interested, write about football. In the 
baseball season write about baseball. In any season 
write about the current news. 

Notice the timeliness of the following item that 
appeared in a school paper during the World War: 

Gerald Cole, '11, commanded a battery of heavy artillery, 
and 235 men, for seven weeks, in the recent severe righting in 
France. He was promoted to the staff as Liaison Officer, and 
has been recommended for a Captaincy. He writes: "I am 
in the recaptured sector close on the heels of ' Fritz/ The 
fighting has been terrific, but the 'Yanks' are making good. 
The other day I passed through a town that was German 
headquarters three weeks ago. Everything was shot to bits. 
No amount of imagining on the part of people in America can 
picture things as they are, but I'm here and I don't want to go 
back until the job is finished." 

APPEAL TO YOUR READERS' INTERESTS 

Write news items that will be appropriate for the 
paper for which you write. In writing for a school 
paper, write about only those things that have to do 
with the life and the interests of the school. These may 
include almost any subject. For example, such a re- 
mote subject as hieroglyphics, — the picture-writing of 



20 



ENGLISH 



the Egyptians and other ancient races, — would not or- 
dinarily be appropriate for a school paper. If the sub- 
ject has been introduced by the Art Department, or 
the History Department, or the Language Depart- 
ment, it will be entirely appropriate, because the sub- 
ject will have living interest. One school paper that de- 
voted six paragraphs to an explanation of hieroglyphic 
writing ended its article by suggesting the following 
problem for its readers, thus increasing an already 
awakened interest in the subject: 

Those interested in hieroglyphics can try to put the follow- 
ing sentence into symbols that will represent the exact meaning: 
"I, Black Hawk, a warrior of the Bear Tribe, killed a deer and 
caught two fish upon this spot." 

All solutions placed in The Spectator Box will be returned 
with full corrections. 



1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING NEWS ITEMS 

In accordance with the suggestions that have been given, write for 
your class or school paper news items on some of the following topics: 



1 Work in mathematics 16 

2 The school annual 17 

3 The orchestra 18 

4 Something new in science 19 

5 Coming examinations 20 

6 Our cheer leaders 21 

7 The approaching holiday 22 

8 A retiring teacher 23 

9 The Red Cross 24 

10 A graduated work 25 

11 A recent lecture 26 

12 A concert 27 

13 An essay contest 28 

14 An exhibition 29 

15 A Shakespearean play 30 



The track team 

The swimming team 

Work in French 

The literary society 

Our school artists 

Basket-ball 

A new teacher 

Laboratory work 

School trophies 

What our rivals are doing 

An interesting experiment 

The senior class 

A good " mo vie" 

New library books 

The school dramatics 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 21 

GIVE MANY NAMES 

In writing news items it is always good policy to 
mention as many names as you can, without boring 
your readers. Almost every one likes to see his name 
in print. 

When you write a name in a news item, write both 
the first name and the last name. Doing this adds to 
the dignity of your work, and makes a more valuable 
record. In reporting a game it is usually best to give 
the names of the contestants in a summary at the end 
of the news article. 

Notice the following summary of names given at 
the end of an article telling about the work of a cross- 
country team: 

The first eleven men to finish in the race were as follows: 
William Albert, Samuel Goldwin, Joseph Hervey, Alfred Resea, 
Eugene McDonald, George Schneider, Milton Rolland, Henry 
Halbert, Walter Leeds, Thomas Harvey, Morgan Williamson. 

AWAKEN INTEREST IN GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP 

When you write of athletic events, such as football 
and baseball, write in a way that will be perfectly fair 
to every one. 

Give praise honestly, without undue bias toward sides 
or players. Show that interest in sport far exceeds in- 
terest in having a side win. 

Select important plays, or highly unusual plays, and 
tell about them in an interesting way. Do not write 
monotonous accounts of every play. 

Somewhere in your article, preferably at the end, — 
name every person who took part in the contest. 



22 ENGLISH 

Avoid the use of slang, unless you use it purposely 
to gain a definite effect. In that case, use quotation 
marks to indicate that you use slang purposely. 

"On Saturday morning the Rifle Team travelled to the 
P.S.A.L. field in Brooklyn with the intention of ' bringing 
home the bacon/ in the form of the championship of Greater 
New York." 

Never use slang that is vulgar, or in any way offen- 
sive, and do not use slang of any kind to such an extent 
that it will become annoying. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING ABOUT ATHLETICS 

Bearing in mind what has been said about the writing of names and 
the use of slang, write an account of one^>f the following: 

1 A football game 11 A cross-country run 

2 A baseball game 12 A rifle match 

3 A basket-ball game 13 A skiing contest 

4 A tennis match 14 A snow-shoe expedition 

5 A skating contest 15 A gymnasium contest 

6 A hockey match 16 A folk dance 

7 A game of soccer 17 A calisthenic drill 

8 A tennis contest 18 A hand-ball contest 

9 A tug of war 19 A diving contest 
10 A field-day 20 A canoe race 

THE SOURCES OF NEWS 

It is not at all difficult to find sources of news, for 
the sources are right at hand. Wherever you are, 
whether in city or country, you can always find some- 
thing new and interesting. 

In the world at large, reporters find news at certain 
definite points, such as the railroad office, the police 
station, the telegraph office, the church, the school, and 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 23 

organization headquarters. In a school you can find 
news at the desk of every teacher, in the office of the 
principal, in the offices of department heads, in the 
gymnasium, in the rooms of the managers and officers 
of all athletic teams, and of the officers of all organi- 
zations, in the columns of local papers, and in papers 
published by other schools. Best of all, you can find 
news in the activity immediately around you, — in what 
happens in your various classes, in the corridors, in the 
school assemblies, at recess times, and at the close of 
school. Open your eyes to the news that is right at 
your side. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FINDING THE NEWS 

1 Make a numbered list of all the sources of news that exist in your 
school. The pupil who brings in the longest and the most satisfactory 
list will be called "Editor," for the day. 

2 Make a numbered list of all the individual items of news that you 
can gather from any one of the sources in your school. The pupil who 
brings in the most satisfactory list under every heading will be called 
"Associate Editor," for the day. 

3 The "Editor" and the "Associate Editors" will prepare a class 
paper, either written or typewritten, and illustrated as well as possible, 
to be posted on the class bulletin-board at the next session of the class. 

FOLLOW UP IMPORTANT NEWS 

Follow up all important news. The first appearance 
of news is likely to introduce a subject that later will 
have new developments. A brief item may announce 
the issuing of a challenge to another school to debate. 
A later item may announce that the other school has 
accepted the challenge. A third item may tell of defi- 
nite arrangements for the debate. A fourth may give 
a full account of the debate after it has taken place. 



24 ENGLISH 

Make a memorandum about every item of news that 
you can follow up later, especially any item concerning 
a contest, a society meeting or any public exercises. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FOLLOWING UP IMPORTANT NEWS 

1 Examine the last number of the class paper or the school paper, 
and make a numbered list of the items that can be followed up to ad- 
vantage. The pupil who presents the most satisfactory list may be 
called "Editor," for the day. 

2 The "Editor" will appoint "Associate Editors," and will prepare 
another edition of the class paper to be posted on the class bulletin- 
board. 

EMPHASIZE THE PRINCIPAL FEATURE IN NEWS 

In every bit of news some one principal feature stands 
out most notably. Sometimes that feature is an im- 
portant event, or the name of a person, or the cause, or 
the result of an event, or it may be the time at which an 
event occurred, or the place in which it happened, or 
the peculiar circumstances connected with the event. 
Frequently the principal feature appears in words that 
some one has said or written. 

One of the most emphatic places in a sentence or 
paragraph is the beginning. Naturally, therefore, one 
of the best ways to emphasize the most important fea- 
ture in a news item is to mention that feature immedi- 
ately, at the beginning of the news article. Doing 
this is called " Playing Up the Feature." 

Notice how the following sentences from news items 
in school papers "Play Up the Features": 

" PLAYING UP" THE EVENT 

The twelfth semi-annual concert of the school orchestra will 
be held in the assembly hall Friday evening, May 26. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 25 

"playing up" the name 
Charles Lawson and Fred Easterbrooks, of the school foot- 
ball team, have been awarded the positions of right end and 
right half-back respectively, on the All-State Scholastic Foot- 
ball Team, chosen by The State Herald. 

"playing up" the cause 
Because of superior playing the Davenport Nine defeated 
Textile School last Saturday at Dyckman Oval, by the score 
of 5 to 0. 

"playing up" the kesult 
An overwhelming victory for Eastern High School was the 
pleasing result last Saturday afternoon, of the many weeks' 
hard and faithful practice that our team has endured. 

"playing up" time 
On Friday, March 19, at the Y.M.C.A. building, the Wilmont 
Club will play the Irving Club in Basket Ball. 

"playing up" place 
The great Y.M.C.A. auditorium was crowded to its limits 
last Friday evening when the Irving Dramatic Club gave the 
annual school play. 

"playing up" circumstances 

Only a slight spell of cool weather was necessary to bring 
The Cross-Country Team back to life, and to set it to training, 
last Saturday in preparation for one of the great events of 
the year. 

"playing up" a quotation 

" Never did I hear a better debate in any school that I have 
visited," said Dr. Richard Walmuth, Chairman of the Com- 
mittee of Judges, when he awarded the decision to Rangeley 
High School, in the school hall last evening. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: "PLAYING UP" THE FEATURE 
Stand before your class, without referring to this book, or to any 
notes, and give a talk in which you explain, as if to beginners in news- 
paper reporting, exactly what is meant by "Playing Up the Feature." 



26 



ENGLISH 



6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: "PLAYING UP" THE FEATURE 

1 Bring to class a numbered list of the most important events of 
school life during the past week. The pupil who brings the most suc- 
cessful list will be called "Editor," for the day. 

2 The "Editor" will appoint "Associate Editors," and will assign 
to every "Associate Editor" the preparation of a definitely named item 
of news, to be prepared by "Playing Up" a feature to be named by 
the "Editor." 



USE THE MOST EFFECTIVE GRAMMATICAL OPENING 

In addition to " Playing Up the Feature" it is impor- 
tant to begin any news item with just the right use of 
words. Sometimes it is best to begin with a noun used 
as the subject of the sentence; sometimes with a clause 
used as the subject of the sentence, or with an infini- 
tive, or a participial noun used as a subject. At other 
times it is best to begin with an adjective or adverbial 
clause, a participle, a prepositional phrase, an infini- 
tive, an adjective, an adverb, a verb, an exclamation, 
or a pronoun. 

THE SUBJECT OPENING 

The subject of a sentence is the name of that about 
which something is said in the sentence. 

THE NOUN AS SUBJECT 

The plans for the sixteenth annual school dance have been 
announced by the committee on social life. A full statement 
follows below. 

THE CLAUSE OPENING 

A clause is a group of words within a sentence, hav- 
ing a subject and predicate. When a clause is de- 
pendent upon some other part of a sentence it is called 
a dependent clause. When a dependent clause modifies 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



27 



a noun or pronoun it is called an adjective clause. 
When a dependent clause modifies a verb, an adverb, 
or an adjective it is called an adverbial clause. When 
a dependent clause takes the place of a noun it is called 
a noun clause. 



A Noun Clause as Subject 

A Noun Clause as Object 

A Noun Clause as Object 
of a Preposition 

An Adjective Clause 



That we shall be defeated next Satur- 
day, is an utter impossibility. 

The principal said that permission 
could not be granted. 

The success of the evening will be 
made by what the individual 
pupils do. 

Tom Whalen, who played first 
base on our team last year, will 
not be with us this year. 



7 ORAL EXERCISE: NOUN AND ADJECTIVE CLAUSES 

Tell any four items of news. In your four items make use of the 
four types of clauses named above. 

Adverbial clauses are classified according to use. They may express 
time, place, concession, condition, comparison, purpose, manner, cause, 
or result. 



An Adverbial Clause of 
Time 

An Adverbial Clause of 

Place 
An Adverbial Clause of 

Concession 



An Adverbial Clause of 
Condition 



Our debating team will accept a 
challenge from any class when- 
ever a challenge is offered. 

This week the team will play 
again where it played last week. 

Although two of our best actors 
were sick and unable to be 
present, the play was a great 
success. 

If it had not been for the muddy 
condition of the field, we should 
have played a much better 
game. 



28 



ENGLISH 



An Adverbial Clause of 
Comparison 

An Adverbial Clause of 
Purpose 

An Adverbial Clause of 

Manner 



An Adverbial Clause of 
Cause 



An Adverbial Clause of 
Result 



The more we encourage school 
organizations, the better school 
we make. 

They played hard in order that 
they might bring home the pen- 
nant. 

Although Captain Hinkley twisted 
his ankle severely during the first 
half of the game he played on 
as if he had had no injury at all. 

Some persons present said that 
we did not win because we were 
hopelessly outnumbered in the 
yelling. 

The senior play lasted so long that 
the usual concert was omitted. 



8 ORAL EXERCISE: ADVERBIAL CLAUSES 

Tell any nine items of news. In your nine items make use of the 
nine types of adverbial clauses named above. 

In beginning a news item with any of the grammatical openings just 
mentioned, begin immediately with the grammatical effect that you 
wish to emphasize. 

For example, the illustration of an adverbial clause of time as given 
above is: 

Our debating team will accept a challenge from any class 
whenever a challenge is offered. 

In beginning a news item on the subject, if you wish 
to emphasize time, write the adverbial clause first, 
making the necessary word changes to emphasize the 
thought : 

Whenever a challenge from any class is offered, our debating 
team will accept it. 

The object of placing any grammatical form first in 
reporting news is to emphasize the most important 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 29 

feature of the news. Placing a clause first is not a 
mere exercise in grammar. You write a clause first 
in order to emphasize thought. 

Notice how the most important " features" in news 
items are emphasized in the following grammatical 
openings: 

THE NOUN OPENING 

A group of graduates who left the halls of Leicester High 
School with the class of 1910, invited all their former teachers, 
who still remain in the school, to a delightful dinner at the 
St. Nicholas restaurant last month. 

THE NOUN CLAUSE OPENING 

What the United States is doing for the preservation of our 
forests was made clear to every member of the school by Miss 
Eldridge in an illustrated lecture given before the assembly 
last Wednesday morning. 

THE TIME CLAUSE OPENING 

When we arrived in our rooms last Thursday morning , we were 
delightfully greeted by the news that the following day would 
be a holiday. 

THE PLACE CLAUSE OPENING 

Where all last year there was nothing but a muddy and stony 
field of not much use to any one, there is now a smooth athletic 
field. 

THE CONCESSION CLAUSE OPENING 

Although the weatiker last Saturday was anything but favorable 
to our playing a good game, we played with a spirit that led to 
as much cheering as though the weather had been sunny. 

THE CONDITION CLAUSE OPENING 

If it had not been for a lucky accident, the slight fire that 
started on the first floor last Thursday morning at about ten 
o'clock might have destroyed the building, or have caused a 
panic. 



30 



ENGLISH 



THE COMPARISON CLAUSE OPENING 

The more vigorously we gave our school cheers during the play- 
ing at the last game, the more vigorously our players met the 
heavy attacks of the weighty Rochdale Eleven. 

THE PURPOSE CLAUSE OPENING 

That the debating team, the alternates, and the coach might have 
every opportunity to win the debate held on Tuesday evening, the 
young ladies of the senior class served a " Victory Dinner" in 
the lunch room of the school in the hours immediately before 
the debate. 

THE MANNER CLAUSE OPENING 

As calmly and as forcefully as though he had been accustomed 
to speaking in State contests all his life, Walter Haley presented 
an overwhelming body of evidence and brought home the State 
trophy. 

THE CAUSE CLAUSE OPENING 

Because tlie pupils of the senior class generously contributed a 
number of exceedingly interesting books, we now have a most 
attractive class library. 

9 ORAL EXERCISEl EMPHASIZING A FEATURE BY USING 
DEPENDENT CLAUSES 

Tell any ten items of news. In your ten items make use of the ten 
openings named above. 

In addition to the openings just named you may begin a news article 
with any part of speech or with any grammatical form that will best 
present the truth. 



INFINITIVES, PREPOSITIONS, AND PARTICIPLES 

The participle, the infinitive, and the preposition 
give special emphasis in introducing news items. The 
participle is a verbal adjective. The infinitive is a verb 
form or a verbal noun, adjective, or adverb usually 
accompanied by the word " to. ' ; A preposition is a con- 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 31 

necting word that indicates relation between a noun 
or a pronoun and some other word in the sentence. 

THE PARTICIPLE OPENING 

Running with a speed and with a trained ability equal to 
that of the best college runners, Harry Molin defeated all other 
contestants. 

THE INFINITIVE OPENING 

To see how many runs could possibly be made in a single 
game, our second team fairly wore itself out running around the 
bases in a highly amusing game with the second team from 
Greenwich High School. 

THE PREPOSITION OPENING 

In the entire list of our exchanges there is no paper that 
excels The Western Record. 

10 ORAL EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING FEATURE BY USING PARTICIPLES, 
INFINITIVES, OR PREPOSITIONS 

Tell any three items of news. In your three items make use of the 
three openings named above. 

OTHER GRAMMATICAL OPENINGS 

An adjective limits or describes a noun or pronoun. 
An adverb limits or modifies a verb, an adjective, or 
another adverb. A pronoun is a word used in place of 
a noun. A verb makes a statement or an assertion. 
A conjunction connects words, groups of words, and 
especially statements in the form of clauses. You may 
use all these parts of speech in introducing news items. 

THE ADJECTIVE OPENING 

Fresh from the victory over North Tarrytown High on 
Thanksgiving Day, the Webster Basket-Bali team battled with 
great hope against the second team of Polytechnic Institute. 



32 ENGLISH 

THE ADVERB OPENING 

Recently the " Editor-in-Chief " of The Ledger, the monthly 
publication of the Commercial High School, Brooklyn, sent a 
request to the " Editors" of all the high school papers in 
New York City, asking them to attend a convention to be held 
in the Commercial High School building, March 12, at three 
o'clock. 

THE PRONOUN OPENING 

Those who are interested in winning an essay prize of $50.00 
are asked to read the rules of The Herald Essay Contest now 
posted on the bulletin-board in the office. 

THE VERB OPENING 

Cover all your books at once. A general book inspection 
will take place some time next week. 

THE INTERJECTION OPENING 

"Oh! if I could make you see the scenes that I saw! the 
ruined towns ! the trenches ! the confusion of battle ! Then you 
would know what war means." These were the opening words 
of Captain Klingfeldt's address on Monday morning. 

THE CONJUNCTION OPENING 

"But there was nothing more that we could do; it was our 
last game," said Coach Hanbury, in explaining the foot-ball 
situation at the close of last season. 

11 ORAL EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING FEATURE BY VARIOUS 
GRAMMATICAL OPENINGS 

Tell any six items of news. In your six items make use of the six 
openings named above. 

PREPARING COPY 

Whenever you write a news item, make your writing 
so legible that a type-setter can read it without effort. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 33 

Write on only one side of an ordinary sheet of pad 
paper, preferably on paper 8 x 103^ inches in size. 
Write with blue-black ink, and make your punctua- 
tion marks larger and more noticeable than you would 
make them in writing a letter, or in writing an ordinary 
composition. 

Revise any article that you write, correcting bad 
grammar, bad spelling, and bad punctuation. Above 
all, correct any failure to emphasize the most important 
point in the news. 

12 WRITTEN EXERCISE: THE NEWS SCRAP-BOOK 

1 Obtain half a dozen numbers of any daily paper, or obtain different 
issues of different papers. 

2 Cut out an illustration of every type of opening named in this 
lesson. 

3 Arrange your clippings in some definite order and paste them 
neatly on sheets of paper. You can paste a great many clippings on a 
single page if you paste only the right edges and allow the clippings to 
overlap. 

4 Bring the clippings to class. The pupil who presents the most 
nearly complete exhibit of clippings will be appointed "Editor," for 
the day. 

13 WRITTEN EXERCISE: OPENING WORDS 

Write a series of news items concerning your class, your school, or 
neighboring schools, in illustration of every type of opening named in 
this lesson. Label every type and be prepared to read your entire 
list in class. The pupil presenting the best series of illustrations will 
be appointed "Editor," for the day. 

14 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A LETTER TO A STRANGER 

Imagine that the " Editor * of a paper published by the students of 
a neighboring high school, wrote to you asking for information concern- 
ing methods of writing news items most effectively. Write a letter in 
which you explain to him the half-dozen most important points pre- 
sented in this lesson. 



34 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

The proper form for a letter to a stranger is as follows: 








263 South Olney Street, 




Middleville, Texas, 




October 22, 1921. 


Mr. Philip Jones, 




Editor of " The Courier," 


San Diego High School, 


San Diego, 




California. 




Dear Sir: 






Very truly yours, 




Walter Jackson. 



THE SUPERSCRIPTION OF THE LETTER AND THE 
DIRECTION ON THE ENVELOPE SHOULD BE ALIKE 

Write the direction on an envelope in exactly the 
way you write the superscription of the letter to be 
enclosed. In each case — except that you should al- 
ways place a period after an abbreviation — you may 
omit commas or periods at the ends of lines. If you 
omit such punctuation in the superscription of a let- 
ter you must also omit it in writing the direction on 
the envelope. 






LESSON III 

TELLING A JOKE 
JOKES IN SCHOOL PAPERS 

Do you like jokes? Of course you do, — and so does 
every one else. You like to hear jokes, and you like to 
read them. Good jokes make for friendship. They 
take the monotony out of lif e. They refresh and stimu- 
late. If you have a good laugh now and then you can 
work all the better afterward. 

Every good school paper prints a number of jokes 
more or less related to school life. A school paper 
without jokes is a nearly dead paper, just as much to 
be wondered at as is a man who never smiles nor laughs. 
The students who say to the " Editors " of school papers, 
"Why don't you give us more jokes ?" express a desire 
for fun that all students feel. 

Here are some jokes taken from school papers : 

"Keep your seats and pass out as you usually do." 

"The horse's tail was on the wrong side of the bridge." 

"His coat was fringed with a pair of leather leggins and 
moccasins." 

"Everybody on page four sing." 

"Fenimore Cooper wrote the 'Golf-Stocking Tales.' " 

"His heart was in his mouth and he couldn't speak clear- 
ly." 

35 



36 ENGLISH 

Teacher: "John, where is the Rock of Gibraltar, and to 
whom does it belong?" 

Johnny (after meditation): "It's in Newark, and it belongs 
to the Prudential Life Insurance Company." 

Baseball Manager (to the school printer): "Print on every 
ticket the words, 'Not transf err able/ " 

Printer: "It won't do any good. Lots of people won't know 
what the words mean." 

Baseball Manager: "Then print, 'No person admitted unless 
he comes himself/" 

Teacher (to a freshman): "Spell 'weather.' " 
Freshman : " W-i-e-a-t-h-i-o-w-r." 

Teacher: "That's the worst spell of weather we've had this 
year ! " 

Vexed Parent (to one of our seniors) : "You know, my son, a 
rolling stone gathers no moss." 

Senior (who has studied English): "I comprehend, but you 
must understand that if the velocity is sufficiently increased 
the stone must necessarily acquire a polish whose value is 
relatively the same." 

Teacher: "Who wrote the most, Scott, or Dickens, or George 
Eliot?" 

Senior (who studied English literature in the previous term) : 
"Dickens." 

Teacher: "What makes you think so?" 

Senior: "I remember Mr. Jackson said that Dickens wrote 
All the Year Round." 



Teacher: "Why are you behind in your studies continually, 
Henry?" 

Henry: "Oh — so I can pursue them, you see." 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 37 

"What is the best kind of foliate ?" asked the teacher of 
botany. "Leaves of absence," was the unhesitating reply of 
the homesick boy. 

Somebody asks what the difference is between a farmer's 
pail and a physician. 

All we've got to say is that this is one of those foolish conun- 
drums, a question that has no sense at all, and that should be 
ignored. But we know that if we fail to answer it, somebody 
will think we can't, and just to prove we can: — 

The pail goes to the well, and the physician goes to the sick. 

Angry Mother (who has come to the Principal after having 
listened sympathetically to her son's excuse for not having 
come home immediately after school): "Sir, my son says that 
you kept him two hours after school for something that he 
didn't do!" 

Principal: "Yes, madame, I did. He didn't do his Latin." 

THE SOURCES OF HUMOR 

The fun in all these jokes, and in almost all other 
jokes that you read, lies largely in 

1 Surprise 

2 Misuse of language 

3 Incongruity 

A good joke holds the reader in suspense until the 
end. The end is a climax that has in it a surprise of 
some sort, — frequently a surprise caused by " turning 
the tables." 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: TYPES OF JOKES 
Point out the jokes in the series just given, that make use of suspense, 
climax, surprise, or "turning the tables." 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TYPES OF JOKES 

Clip from periodicals, and bring to class, four jokes that will illustrate 
respectively the four types of jokes named above. 



38 ENGLISH 

Many jokes draw their humor from intentional or 
unintentional misuse of language. An ignorant per- 
son may unintentionally misuse language with most 
humorous results, as in the following: 

Housekeeper, to the new grocery boy, who speaks in dialect: 
"Mercy me! the eggs in this bag are nearly all broken." 
Boy: "Ya, mattame, I had an eggsident!" 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: HUMOR FROM MISUSE OF LANGUAGE 
Point out the jokes in the series just given that make use of misunder- 
standing of words, or of any misuse of language. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: HUMOR FROM MISUSE OF LANGUAGE 

Clip from periodicals, and bring to class, three jokes formed on mis- 
use of language. 

Anything that is incongruous, out of keeping, un- 
usual, or highly exaggerated is likely to have in it the 
element of humor. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: HUMOR FROM THE INCONGRUOUS 

Point out the jokes in the series just given that make use of the 
incongruous, the unusual, or the highly exaggerated. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: HUMOR FROM THE INCONGRUOUS 

Clip from periodicals, and bring to class, three jokes formed on the 
incongruous. 

THE PROPER FORM FOR JOKES 

Notice how the jokes given above are printed, capi- 
talized, and punctuated. 

1 Begin the name or title of the speaker with a 

capital letter. 

2 Use a colon to introduce a direct and emphatic 

quotation. 

3 Use quotation marks to indicate words quoted 

directly. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 39 

4 Use marks of parenthesis to indicate words given 

merely in explanation. 

5 Use the dash to indicate a sudden change of 

thought. 

6 Make a new paragraph for every separate speech 

in a conversation. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITTEN FORM FOR JOKES 

Bring to class written copies of three original jokes appropriate for 
your school paper. As titles for the three jokes, write: "A Joke that 
Depends upon Surprise," "A Joke that Depends upon Misuse of 
Language," and "A Joke that Depends upon Incongruity." 

RULES FOR TELLING JOKES 

Bear in mind certain points when you tell a joke or 
when you write one in a letter, or for publication in 
your school paper. The points are as follows: 

1 Make every joke rise quickly to a definite point. 

A pointless joke is a worthless joke. 

2 Try to find, in the life about you, new and original 

jokes that no one else has ever told or written 
before. 

3 Make good nature prevail in every story that 

you tell. Don't tell jokes that will hurt any 
one's feelings. 

4 Make your jokes worthy of respect. Avoid 

coarseness and vulgarity. Don't joke about 
anything that is held dear and sacred. 

5 Remember that the object of every joke is to 

bring smiles and laughter, — not bitter and hurt 
feelings. Laugh with people: not at people. 

6 Don't repeat jokes that are so old that they are 

worn out. 



40 ENGLISH 

8 ORAL EXERCISE: A JOKE CONTEST 
The class will appoint five members, — or ten, or more, — to take part 
in a "Joke Contest." The pupils appointed, bearing in mind the points 
mentioned above, will speak before the class, every pupil telling one 
joke only. The winner will be the one who tells the best joke in the 
best manner. 

In telling any joke use as few words as possible. A 
long-drawn-out joke is likely to be tiresome. 

In introducing any humorous story present the situ- 
ation and the characters clearly. Oftentimes humor 
depends not so much upon what is said as upon who 
speaks, and under what conditions he speaks. 

Omit every detail that is not necessary, and make 
your story rise quickly to its principal point or climax. 
When you have brought the story to its climax, say no 
more. Don't add further explanation or comment, 
and don't repeat any part of the story. 

9 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ORIGINAL JOKES 
Listen to what is said and done during a single day in your various 
classes, and outside your classes. Bring to class, properly written out, 
capitalized, and punctuated, a school joke that is new and original and 
good enough for publication in your school paper. 

A SERIOUS USE OF HUMOR 

Sometimes you can use a humorous anecdote to illus- 
trate a serious point. 

Abraham Lincoln frequently expressed the most 
serious thought in the form of an anecdote. On one 
occasion during the dark days of the Civil War a 
committee came to him and asked him to change the 
plans of campaign. Lincoln listened patiently to the 
request and then answered somewhat as follows: 

" Frequent changes of plans are demoralizing. There was a 
family I heard of that moved and moved and moved, until by 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 41 

and by they had lost everything except what they could carry 
in one wagon. They kept on moving until at last even their 
chickens, when they saw the wagon brought out, used to lie 
down on their backs and hold up their legs to be tied. Do 
you want our army to be like that?" 

On another occasion, when Lincoln wished to in- 
timate that the pompous assertions of a certain man 
high in authority were founded on nothing but con- 
ceit, he said: 

"You can't believe everything that people say about them- 
selves. There was a farmer I knew who always bragged about 
everything. One day another farmer told him such a story 
about the hay that that farmer had cut that it seemed impos- 
sible for the bragger to go him one better. But he did. He 
said: ' Pshaw! Fve had more hay than that. I don't know 
what to do with it all. I've piled all I can outdoors, and the 
rest IVe got to put in the barns.' " 

10 ORAL EXERCISE: JOKES IN ILLUSTRATION OF SERIOUS 

THOUGHT 

The teacher will appoint one member of the class to act as "Toast- 
master." The " Toastmaster " will appoint half a dozen "Speakers." 
He will give every "Speaker" a serious topic. He will then introduce 
every "Speaker," telling some appropriate anecdote as an introduc- 
tion. Every "Speaker" will speak two or three sentences seriously on 
his assigned topic, and will then tell a short, humorous anecdote, in 
some way related to his topic. 

11 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A HUMOROUS, FRIENDLY LETTER 

Write a short, friendly letter, as if to a relative in another State. In 
part of your letter tell of some humorous event, or of some humorous 
conversation, that amused you during the present month. 

12 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING JOKES FOR THE SCHOOL PAPER 

Imagine that you are "Editor" of your school paper and that your 
classmates are "Associate Editors" and "Reporters." Give them a 
talk in which you explain the principles that should guide them in 
writing jokes for the school paper. 






LESSON IV 

WRITING A STORY FOR THE SCHOOL PAPER 
WHAT A STORY IS 

Telling a story is much like telling the news except 
that in telling a story you will say more about person- 
ality. A "news story " is almost always an impersonal 
account of what has happened. The sort of story that 
most people have in mind when they say "story" 
is a narrative that throws strong light on personal 
character, emotions, and appearance, and that leads 
through a series of related events to a notable con- 
clusion. 

THE PERSONAL NARRATIVE 

An ordinary form of story, slightly higher in some 
respects than the "news story/' is a personal narrative, 
— the sort of story that you write when you write a 
letter to a friend and tell him what you have been 
doing. In that case you write in the first person. In 
a good personal letter you sometimes tell two or three 
interesting stories of personal experiences. Here, for 
example, are some of the subjects about which you 
might "tell stories" in letters: 

1 A queer experience while 5 Where the ball went to 

shopping 6 What we did to celebrate 

2 How he failed to become 7 How we woke the town up 

captain 8 What happened during our 

3 What we did at the party walk 

4 What Sadie's mother said 9 How we won the game 

42 



10 


All about our picnic 


20 


11 


How I made a beautiful 
garden 


21 


12 


One of father's stories 


22 


13 


The best dance of the sea- 


23 




son 


24 


14 


Fun on a sleigh ride 


25 


15 


How the baby upset things 


26 


16 


What mother used to do 


27 


17 


A pleasant stroll 


28 


18 


How I helped paint the house 29 


19 


Making the new dress 


30 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 43 

A sudden adventure 
Getting ready for the wed- 
ding 
Bathing at the seashore 
A good time hunting 
A terrifying experience 
Baking a cake 

Mother and I out shopping 
Entertaining callers 
Caring for the sick 
The surprise party 
Making Christmas presents 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A PERSONAL NARRATIVE 

Write a friendly letter in which you tell a story suggested by any of 
the above subjects, or by any other subjects that you may think of. 
Life is full of interesting "stories," and you will have no difficulty in 
thinking of many that will interest your friends. 

Such books as Stevenson's "An Inland Voyage" and "Travels 
With a Donkey" are, as it were, expanded letters. Such books are 
personal narratives giving all the personal comments that a letter 
writer might be expected to give, and including also a number of de- 
lightful anecdotes or "stories." In writing narrative letters you should 
imitate the style of good personal narratives. 

Here is a passage that tells how Stevenson, when on a canoe trip, 
was thrown into the water by a tree that stuck out into some rapids. 

"Every two or three hundred yards a tree had fallen across 
the river and usually involved more than another in its fall. 
Often there was free water at the end, and we could steer round 
the leafy promontory and hear the water sucking and bub- 
bling among the twigs. Often, again, when the tree reached 
from bank to bank, there was room, by lying close, to shoot 
through underneath, canoe and all. Sometimes it was neces- 
sary to get out upon the trunk itself and pull the boats across; 
and sometimes, where the stream was too impetuous for this, 
there was nothing for it but to land and 'carry over.' This 
made a fine series of accidents in the day's career, and kept us 
aware of ourselves. 



44 ENGLISH 

" Shortly after our reembarkation, while I was leading by a 
long way, and still full of a noble, exulting spirit in honor of 
the sun, the swift pace, and the church bells, the river made 
one of its leonine pounces round a corner, and I was aware of 
another fallen tree within a stone-cast. I had my backboard 
down in a trice, and aimed for a place where the trunk seemed 
high enough above the water, and the branches not too thick 
to let me slip below. When a man has just vowed eternal 
brotherhood with the universe, he is not in a temper to take 
great determinations coolly, and this, which might have been 
a very important determination for me, had not been taken 
under a happy star. The tree caught me about the chest, and 
while I was yet struggling to make less of myself and get 
through, the river took the matter out of my hands, and be- 
reaved me of my boat. The Arethusa swung round broad- 
side on, leaned over, ejected so much of me as still remained 
on board, and thus disencumbered, whipped under the tree, 
righted, and went merrily away down stream. 

" I do not know how long it was before I scrambled on to the 
tree to which I was left clinging, but it was longer than I cared 
about. My thoughts were of a grave and almost somber 
character, but I still clung to my paddle. The stream ran away 
with my heels as fast as I could pull up my shoulders, and I 
seemed, by the weight, to have all the water of the Oise in my 
trouser pockets. You can never know, till you try it, what a 
dead pull a river makes against a man. Death himself had 
me by the heels, for this was his last ambuscado, and he must 
now join personally in the fray. And still I held to my paddle. 
At last I dragged myself onto my stomach on the trunk, and 
lay there a breathless sop, with a mingled sense of humor and 
injustice. A poor figure I must have presented to Burns upon 
the hill-top with his team. But there was the paddle in my 
hand. On my tomb, if ever I have one, I mean to get these 
words inscribed: 'He clung to his paddle.'" 

Notice, in the passage from Stevenson, how well the 
writer makes his words tell his story. He uses sug- 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 45 

gestive and picturesque adjectives that make the reader 
see the river and the trees and the upsetting of the 
canoe : 

"Leafy promontory." 

"The water sucking and bubbling among the twigs." 

He uses vivid original expressions: 

"The river made one of its leonine [lion-like] pounces round 
a corner." 

"When a man has just vowed eternal brotherhood with 
the universe." 

"The river took the matter out of my hands, and bereaved 
me of my boat." 

"Death himself had me by the heels." 

Notice, also, that Stevenson brings his story to a 
humorously serious climax: 

"On my tomb, if ever I have one, I mean to get these words 
inscribed: 'He clung to his paddle.'" 

In your own writing 

1 Use suggestive, picturesque adjectives. 

2 Use vivid, original expressions. 

3 Bring your story to a strong conclusion. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A VIVID PERSONAL NARRATIVE 

Write a vivid, picturesque account of any real experience you have 
had. Make a definite attempt to imitate Stevenson. 

TWO WAYS OF TELLING STORIES 

Even in letter-writing you do not always tell about 
what happened to yourself. You tell about what other 
people did or said, — what experiences came to your 
friends, and how your friends acted under unusual 



46 ENGLISH 

circumstances. In such cases you do not say "I," 
",me," "my," or "mine." You say "he," "she," 
"they," "theirs," "them." In other words, you write 
in the third person. 

There are, then, two notable ways of telling a story, — 
telling the story in the first person, and telling the story 
in the third person. Sometimes whole books like 
Robinson Crusoe or Treasure Island are told in the first 
person. Such books are very real and intimate. The 
stories give the impression of perfect truth. The use 
of the first person, in large part, gives this remarkable 
appearance of truth. 

Most stories are told in the third person, as Ivanhoe 
is told. The use of the third person permits the writer 
to write about many more things than he could write 
about if he limited himself to what a single person 
. could see or experience. The writer can tell the story 
as though he knew everything that his characters do, 
or even think. 

THE PURPOSES IN STORY-TELLING 

Every life, however humdrum it may seem, has 
unusual experiences, — events that are strikingly out of 
the ordinary. Sometimes these events are utterly 
astonishing. Sometimes they are highly amusing. 
Sometimes they are frightful. 

One kind of story-telling makes use of the highly 
unusual occurrences in fife, and tells stories that arouse 
interest because of their difference from that which is 
ordinary and commonplace. Sometimes, in order to 
go still farther from the common events of every-day 
life, story-tellers write about events in foreign lands, 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



47 



or events in ancient times, or even in future times, or 
in places impossible to reach, like the moon. Such 
stories are highly imaginative and tell us little or 
nothing about every-day life, although they are always 
founded on general truths of human nature. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: STORIES OF THE UNUSUAL 

Write a short narrative telling of something unusual, either in the 
first or in the third person, based on one of the following: 



1 


An accident 


16 


The injury 


2 


A robbery 


17 


Spilled 


3 


An escape 


18 


What the baby did 


4 


A fire 


19 


Caught in the rain 


5 


A flood 


20 


Falling down stairs 


6 


Capsized 


21 


Lost in the woods 


7 


A runaway 


22 


Out on a rough sea 


8 


A fight 


23 


Poisoned 


9 


An alarm 


24 


Well wet 


10 


A collision 


25 


In the rapids 


11 


To the rescue 


26 


Caught ! 


12 


Nearly shot 


27 


A bad cut 


13 


Just in time 


28 


How we brought her home 


14 


Fainting 


29 


Hit on the eye 


15 


Nearly frozen 


30 


Rescued ! 



4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: HIGHLY IMAGINATIVE STORIES 

Write a short, highly imaginative narrative, either in the first or in 
the third person, based on one of the following: 



1 A strange dream 

2 How I saw the United States 

in the year 3000 

3 An untold adventure of 

John Silver 

4 The Ancient Mariner's boy- 

hood 



9 



What I found on Mars 
Lost in the great forest 
How I saved the ship 
My walking trip under the 

ocean 
My special aeroplane 



10 Exploring the sun 



48 


ENGLISH 


11 


The reform of the meanest 


19 


The magic book 




man 


20 


My visit to Olympus 


12 


Lost on the moon 


21 


Invisible 


13 


Digging up a ton of dia- 


22 


When I was President 




monds 


23 


A million-dollar find 


14 


When I learned the lan- 


24 


A perfect memory 




guage of birds 


25 


Changed into a mouse 


15 


Sailing with Columbus 


26 


The fountain of youth 


16 


The first man 


27 


A four-eyed man 


17 


The boy who couldn't be 


28 


Entertaining a king 




hurt 


29 


Telescope eyes 


18 


A wonderful machine 


30 


Living with the fish 



TELLING STORIES TO AWAKEN SYMPATHY 

Every day we notice ordinary people doing ordinary 
things worthy of much praise. We see fathers and 
mothers who are loving and self-sacrificing; men who 
are hard-working, earnest, and faithful; boys and 
girls, full of health and vigor, playing pranks and games, 
and laughing merrily. If we tell stories about ordinary, 
every-day people who do ordinary, every-day things, 
we appeal strongly to the common liking for that which 
is real. Such stories of every-day life may awaken the 
reader's keenest sympathies, or his warmest admiration, 
or may make him laugh heartily. There is especial 
pleasure in telling about the familiar, and especial 
pleasure in reading about it. 



5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: STORIES OF DAILY LIFE 
Write a short narrative, as true to ordinary life as you can make it, 



based on one of the following: 

1 An incident of mother love 4 

2 A hard-working man 5 

3 The boy who succeeded 6 



Daily self-sacrifice 

The girl who always laughed 

The dishwasher's ambition 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 49 



7 


Earning his way 


19 


A faithful friend 


8 


The kindly old boy 


20 


The clerk 


9 


One of grandmother's do- 


21 


Without style 




ings 


22 


My dear old dog 


10 


What the baby did 


23 


Always late 


11 


A really good man 


24 


The knitter 


12 


The girl I didn't like 


25 


The man who liked to 


13 


Our family horse 




fishing 


14 


Sincerely religious 


26 


Two opposites 


15 


Stingy ! 


27 


Always thinking of others 


16 


A good sister 


28 


A funny little girl 


17 


Companions 


29 


A good uncle 


18 


Grandmother's day 


30 


Interested in flowers 



go 



THE FIVE GREAT POINTS OF STORY-TELLING 

In all story-telling bear in mind these five points: 

1 Setting 

2 Characters 

3 Situation 

4 Action 

5 Climax 

SETTING 

The setting of a story is that part of the story that 
tells where the events take place. The setting may be 
given at the very beginning of the story, or later in the 
story, or it may merely be indicated. 

Notice how well the setting is indicated in the follow- 
ing selection from a story in a school paper: 

"I love the library, that magnificent hall of books on Forty- 
Second Street. It is the most enticing place I have ever visited. 
Whenever I find nothing to do and nowhere to go, I skip down 
there and saunter slowly thru the resounding halls until I find 
myself cozied up in a nice chair in one of the little, dreamy, 



50 ENGLISH 

reading rooms. My ears become closed to every echoing 
sound about me, and I feel as tho sitting face to face with 
really wonderful writers. 

" Only last Wednesday I went down there. I began reading 
a most interesting little book. The room I was in had but one 
other occupant. There was a lonely atmosphere prevailing, — 
quiet, half-alive, with a dreamy, mysterious charm." 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING THE SETTING 

Write a paragraph or so to indicate only the setting for at least one 
of the stories suggested below: 

1 A father and mother, who have worried because their son 

has run away, are one evening following their ordinary 
customs, when the son unexpectedly returns. 

2 A boy who has boasted to his companions that he has 

worked out a certain way of succeeding in a recitation, is 
given the very opportunity for which he has been wish- 
ing. 

3 A tramp, wandering along a railroad track, picks up a 

neatly tied bundle and opens it, thereby setting in mo- 
tion a number of astonishing events. 

4 A small boy, wandering off into the forest, becomes lost 

and imagines that he talks with fairies. 

5 A farmer, having worked hard all day, returns to his home 

to find that during his absence an astonishing change had 
taken place. 

THE CHARACTERS 

The characters in a story are the people concerned 
in the story, the ones around whom interest centres, the 
ones who make events happen. The principal charac- 
ters are the two or three of greatest importance. The 
subordinate characters are those of comparatively 
slight importance. Any story should present the 
principal characters with great clearness. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 51 

You may describe your characters: 

1 Through what the characters do. 

2 Through what the characters say. 

3 In the words of other characters in the story. 

4 In your own words. 

Generally you should describe your characters in all 
of these ways. If you make use of only one method of 
describing characters you may fail to reveal the char- 
acters successfully. 

Notice the clever indication of character in the fol- 
lowing paragraph from a story in a school paper: 

"Ah, a diploma at last! As I gazed out of the window at 
the rapidly changing scenery, I felt satisfied with myself and 
with the world. My sojourn at Vasant High School had been 
of some use after all, even though it had taken me five years to 
make it so, and ' Sammy ' Little only three and half years* My 
fond parents had grown gray waiting for me to conquer German 
and solid geometry and a few other subjects. Now the prodi- 
gal son would come home with his diploma." 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRESENTING CHARACTERS 

Write a paragraph or so to indicate the nature of one or more of the 
principal characters in one of the stories suggested below: 

1 A boy, laying an elaborate trap for another boy, acciden- 

tally reveals something that he had long tried to conceal. 

2 A knight, going on a quest for adventure, finds a little girl 

whose parents have been killed, and takes her with him, 
protecting her from every danger. 

3 An old woman, begging her way from town to town, by a 

lucky accident, and unknown to herself, aids a man to 
fortune. 

4 A workman finds a diamond ring under the floor of the 

house in which he is working. He takes the ring to his 



52 ENGLISH 

home, debates whether or not he should restore it to its 
owner, and falls into a series of unexpected adventures. 
5 A squirrel, sitting on the branch of a tree, gossips with its 
neighbor and tells one of the startling events of life in the 
woods. 

THE SITUATION 

The situation in a story is the condition of affairs 
that leads to action. Certain events have occurred, 
and these events are now to cause one or more other 
events to follow. The situation must be given very 
clearly, like the giving of a problem in mathematics. 

Notice the indication of situation in the following 
paragraph from a school story: 

"On the southmost edge of Ren& Queeney's new tan vest 
reposed the jewelled insignia of Peters' University. Nearer 
his heart, almost at the point where the astonishing piece of 
apparel terminated and gave room for the generous display of 
a delicate, purple-striped shirt, the equally ornamental pin of 
the Class of 1921 dazzled the eye. Right across the wide 
expanse of his manly chest, dangled the triangular key of the 
Euterpian Literary Society. And on his lapel, away up, was 
the recognition-button of his fraternity. But the frat-pin, 
which according to all traditions of Peters' should have domi- 
nated the vest, was absent ! " 

The remainder of the story tells what Rene Queeney 
did in order to make up for the loss of his "frat-pin" 
and how that action was related to the events that had 
brought about the loss of the pin. 

In a certain sense the situation of a story presents a 
problem. It is somewhat as though the writer said in 
the situation, "The value of X is 5; the value of Y is 7; 
the value of Z is 12. What is their total value?" 

In the situation just presented we have given: 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 53 

"Rene Queeney had lost his frat-pin." A little later 
we are told that he took his chum's pin and wore it as 
his own. The problem is: "What will result?" 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRESENTING A SITUATION 

Write one or two paragraphs to present a situation that would be 
appropriate for the setting and the characters named below: 

1 An old mill on a Saturday afternoon in Spring. Several 

schoolboys. 

2 A street in a country town at the beginning of evening. A 

group of three men, one of whom is much better dressed 
than the others. 

3 A country store. A young clerk. 

4 A country sawmill. Lounging farmers and a well-dressed 

stranger. 

5 A factory in the course of erection. A group of workmen. 

THE ACTION 

The expanding and answering of the problem pre- 
sented in the situation is called the action of the story. 

In the story of the "frat-pin" Rene Queeney first 
"borrows" his chum's pin; later on, he gives that pin 
to one of his girl friends who admires it. He then 
employs a clever friend of his, called "Toothpick 
Krames," to try to find the original lost pin. To his 
astonishment, "Toothpick" not only finds the pin, 
but brings with it a note that gives information that 
very much embarrasses Rene 'and makes him the target 
for his friends' ridicule. The events so told are events 
that are likely to occur in the life of a high-school boy. 
They are related closely to one another, one event 
growing directly from another or necessary to the under- 
standing of what happens, — and all the events leading 
to a surprising climax. 



54 ENGLISH 

9 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING ACTION 

Suggest, in the form of a series of numbered sentences, — every sen- 
tence beginning at the left margin of your paper, — the action for one 
of the following situations: 

1 A man, hurrying down the street on a windy day, stumbles 

over a small, round bundle that rolls at his feet. He 
gives the bundle a kick, — then starts back in surprise. 
What was in the bundle, and what resulted from its be- 
ing found? 

2 A boy, who had been punished in school for coming with- 

out prepared work, comes one day with all his work 
properly prepared, and with all his books. While his at- 
tention is turned aside for a moment, one of his class- 
mates hides his books, and another classmate, unknown 
to the first, hides them once again. When the first boy 
discovers the loss of his books, he takes possession of a 
pile of books belonging to another, and containing the 
other boy's written work. What series of actions re- 
sulted? 

3 A young man professes that he has no fear of ghosts. His 

friends dare him to spend an hour at midnight in a house 
said to be haunted. He overhears their plans and ar- 
ranges to frighten them. They learn enough of his plans 
to guess what he will attempt. What resulted? 

4 A judge advertised for a secretary, saying in his advertise- 

ment: "To prove that the applicant is versatile, coura- 
geous, persistent, tactful, and has business ability, his ap- 
plication must be made in a novel way." What resulted ? 

5 A boy falls asleep in a library while reading Treasure Island 

just after he had prepared a lesson in algebra. What re- 
sulted? 

THE CLIMAX 

The climax of a story is its point of highest interest, 
the point toward which the entire story rises. In 
many respects the climax is the one point for which 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 55 

the story exists. It is the point that makes the story 
a good story. 

One school story tells of a young man who came from 
graduation exercises, proudly bearing a rolled, tied, and 
sealed diploma. He boasts to his friends of his success, 
and says that the result of his having gained the diploma 
has been an engagement as his uncle's secretary. He 
explains that under no conditions would the uncle 
have employed him unless he had won his diploma with 
credit. After the young man had talked for some time 
in a conceited way, one of his sister's girl friends asks 
to see the diploma. The following is the climax of the 
story, as it appeared in a school paper: 

"She reached out her hand for it and carefully broke the 
precious seal. A pleasant thrill passed through me. She 
glanced sideways and then turned her attention again to the 
diploma. Slowly she unrolled — a piece of plain, white paper. 
Alas ! it was no diploma ! In the upper left-hand corner was a 
small note attached. On it was written in red ink: 'This is 
to inform you that you are hereby assigned to Class X. When 
you have returned your books you will receiv&your graduation 
diploma.'" 

10 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING A CLIMAX 

Imagine, for any one of the following topics, that a series of inter- 
esting events has taken place. Write a paragraph or so that will give 
an emphatic or surprising climax. 

1 When he had opened the box. 

2 An unexpected recognition. 

3 A moment of self-sacrifice. 

4 The result of a summer's effort. 

5 The boy who won. 



56 ENGLISH 



BE BRIEF 



In telling, or in writing any story, try to say as much 
as possible in as few words as possible. Be brief. A 
story told briefly is often much more effective than the 
same story told at great length. A good length for a 
story for a school publication is 1,200 words. The 
average length for an ordinary story is 3,000 words. 

BE TRUE TO LIFE 

In telling any story, even in telling a story of fairies, 
monsters, hobgoblins, or of anything else, be funda- 
mentally true to life. Be as imaginative as you wish, 
but write your story so that it will seem true. When 
Jules Verne wrote his Trip to the Moon, he took great 
pains to make it seem reasonable that his characters 
could go to the moon. He explained, in great detail, 
how a company constructed an enormous cannon; how 
the scientists who directed the work made a projectile 
that would carry several men safely to the moon, and 
how they took means to protect the people of the 
earth from the effects of the great explosion when the 
huge cannon was fired. 

No matter how impossible your story really is, tell 
it in such a plausible way that it will appear possible. 

PRODUCE ONLY ONE EFFECT 

Tell any story to produce one effect, and one effect 
only. Don't try to kill too many birds with one stone. 
Make your story lead to a single climax, that will 
awaken either laughter, or admiration, or sympathy, or 
any other emotion. If you produce only one effect 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 57 

you will give your story the highest kind of unity, and 
you will keep it within proper artistic bounds. 

GIVE EVERY NECESSARY DETAIL 

Tell everything that is necessary to a full understand- 
ing of the setting, the characters, the situation, the 
action, and the climax. Don't leave your readers in 
doubt concerning any part of the story. Present your 
problems fully, and make your story complete in every 
particular. 

OMIT NEEDLESS DETAILS 

Omit every needless detail. Omit every description, 
every explanation, every word of conversation that will 
not lead directly to the climax of the story. Make 
your story exist for one purpose only. 

THE FIRST STEP IN STORY-WRITING IS TO MAKE A PLAN 

Before you begin to write, form a plan. Put down 
on paper what you have in mind concerning setting, 
characters, situation, action, and climax. For example, 
in the story of Rene Queeney and his "frat pin," the 
writer might have noted down the following plan be- 
fore he wrote the story: 

Setting: A High School 

Characters: Rene Queeney; his chum; " Toothpick" 
Krames; " Toothpick's" sister. 

Situation: Rene's "f rat-pin" has disappeared. 

Action: Rene " borrows" his chum's pin; gives that pin to 
a school girl; engages "Toothpick" Krames to find his original 
pin. 

Climax: "Toothpick" finds Rene's pin, and brings with it a 
note that throws ridicule upon everything that Rene has done. 



58 ENGLISH 

THINK OF THE CLIMAX BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO WRITE 

In writing your story, think first of what you will 
write last, — the climax. Read any one of 0. Henry's 
stories, and you will see that it ends in a notable climax 
that O. Henry must have had in mind from the very 
beginning. Without doubt 0. Henry thought first 
of the climax, and then of the story that would lead to 
the climax. Follow the same method when you tell 
a story. 

11 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING A PLAN 

Make a complete plan for an original story of 1,200 words for your 
school paper. 

ACCOMPLISH A SINGLE PURPOSE 

Your object in telling a story should be to give 
pleasure. Sometimes you may wish to teach a truth 
of some sort, a truth of character, a truth in moral 
life, or a truth of history. Before you write anything, 
determine your purpose in telling your story. If your 
purpose is to create laughter, make everything lead to 
the fulfilling of that particular purpose. If your pur- 
pose is to teach a truth, make everything lead to em- 
phasizing that truth. Bear your purpose in mind 
throughout the entire writing. 

12 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A STORY-WRITING CONTEST 

Bearing in mind all that has been said concerning the writing of a 
story, complete any of the stories of which you have written a part in 
this lesson. The teacher will select the best stories and will ask the 
writers to read them to the class. The teacher will submit the best 
stories to the "Editor" of the school paper for publication. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 59 

13 ORAL EXERCISE: CRITICISING STORIES 
Answer the following questions concerning stories you have read: 

1 What five novels, or five short stories, have you read that 

you remember fairly well? 

2 What is the setting of one of these stories? 

3 What characterizes the principal persons in one of the 

stories ? 

4 What situation is presented at the beginning? 

5 What action follows the presentation of the situation? 

6 What is the climax? 

7 In what person is the story told? 

8 Is the story realistic or romantic? 

9 How does the author make the story seem true? 

10 What single effect does the author try to produce? 

11 What details, or what events, has the author omitted in 

order to make his story produce a single effect, or in or- 
der to keep his story brief? 

12 Did the author have in mind any definite point? 

14 WRITTEN EXERCISE: CRITICISING STORIES 
Exchange stories with one of your classmates, or select a story printed 
in any school publication. Write a criticism of the story that you 
have. Show in what respects the story conforms to the principles of 
good story-writing, and in what respects it fails to conform. Make 
your criticism one that will be helpful to the writer of the story. Con- 
sider in particular the success or the failure of the writer in the follow- 
ing points: , 

1 Development of single effect. 

2 Accomplishment of purpose. 

3 Character drawing. 

4 Interest of action. 

5 Development of climax. 

15 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING HOW TO WRITE STORIES 
Imagine that you are the "Editor" of your school paper. One of 
your fellow pupils, who is out of town during the summer vacation, 
writes to you saying that he wishes to write stories for your paper. 
He asks you to give him suggestions for short-story writing. Write 
him some of the most important suggestions given in this lesson. 



LESSON V 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR STORIES INTERESTING 

HOLD YOUR READER'S INTEREST 

In telling any story, — in fact, in telling anything at 
all,— you wish to hold the attention of the one who hears 
you, or the attention of the one who reads what you 
have written. If the person to whom you talk turns 
his head away, or looks bored, you feel distressed. You 
should feel just as much distressed if any one who reads 
what you have written loses interest in your words. 

FIND SOME COMMON GROUND BETWEEN YOUR 
STORY AND YOUR READER 

One way to keep interest is to tell about people or 
events that your reader knows about. If you attempt 
to interest a carpenter in the translation of Latin, you 
may not succeed, but you will have no difficulty in 
interesting him in a new kind of plane or in a new type 
of tool handle. 

In writing a story, find some common ground between 
your story and your reader. Stevenson's Treasure 
Island is interesting for boys because the story is an 
exciting story full of action — and boys are particularly 
interested in action of any sort. Treasure Island also 
interests boys because it tells what a boy did. Jim 
Hawkins, a boy, is the hero of the story, — a boy with 
all the natural energy, the natural courage, and the 
natural quick-wit that a healthy boy has. 

60 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 61 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: APPEALING TO THE READER'S INTEREST 

Tell how you might make stories, based on the following topics, in- 
teresting to the types of persons indicated: 

1 The unexpected discovery of an oil well. How can you in- 

terest boys? 

2 A contest for a skating championship. How can you in- 

terest girls? 

3 An adventure in a haunted house. How can you interest 

a person fond of scientific studies? 

4 A quarrel concerning the ownership of property. How can 

you interest a student who likes mathematics? 

5 A story of a night adventure in a canoe. How can you in- 

terest a person who likes to collect curiosities? 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO THE READER'S INTEREST 

Write one of the stories suggested above. The success of most 
good story-tellers lies partly in their ability to find or to invent good 
subjects for story- telling. In this exercise and in those that follow you 
will do best if you find or invent good subjects. 

MAKE YOUR READERS SYMPATHIZE WITH YOUR 
CHARACTERS 

Appeal strongly to natural human sympathy and 
you will be likely to hold interest. Most people are 
sympathetic. They have fellow-feeling for any one 
who suffers, or for any one who experiences misfortune. 
Write your story so that it will appeal to the universal 
bond of sympathy. One of Guy de Maupassant's 
clever stories, A Piece of String, holds the reader's in- 
terest because it appeals strongly to a sense of sym- 
pathy with an honest man unjustly accused of wrong- 
doing. In that story a perfectly honest man stoops 
and picks up a piece of string, which he places in liis 
pocket. Because of this action he is suspected of 



62 ENGLISH 

having found and appropriated to his own use money 
belonging to some one else, — a suspicion that results 
in disaster. The reader sympathizes strongly with the 
falsely accused man and reads the story with great in- 
terest. 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: APPEALING TO THE READER'S SYMPATHY 

To what universal bonds of sympathy can you appeal in writing 
stories on the themes suggested below? 

1 A new boy comes to a school and succeeds in outwitting 

those who try to annoy {urn. 

2 A busy man, refusing to interrupt his work for any one, is 

at last taken from his office in an unexpected manner. 

3 A boy who is collecting stamps manages to secure a most 

valuable set of rare stamps. 

4 Two boys explore an unvisited swamp and have various 

surprising adventures. 

5 An archery contest is won by a girl who was not known to 

have practised archery at all. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO THE READER'S SYMPATHY 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to appeal strongly to the reader's sym- 
pathy. 

BASE YOUR STORY ON COMMON IDEALS 

Every one admires truthfulness, honor, sobriety, 
faithfulness, devotion, and self-sacrifice. A good way 
to arouse interest, and to hold it, is to appeal to com- 
mon ideals. Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities is a story of 
a noble self-sacrifice. Sydney Carton, a man apparently 
without strong will, sacrifices himself throughout the 
story rather than bring unhappiness to Lucie Manette, 
whom he loves. At the end of the story Sydney Car- 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 63 

ton sacrifices his life in order to give happiness to 
Lucie. The noble self-sacrifice of Sydney Carton adds 
much to the interest of A Tale of Two Cities. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: APPEALING TO THE READER'S IDEALS 

To what ideals can you appeal in writing stories on the following 
topics ? 

1 Finding a way out of unusual difficulties. 

2 Keeping an appointment in spite of all opposition. 

3 Covering up a failure. 

4 Meeting a temptation. 

5 A story of a climb in a mountain region. 

6. WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO THE READER'S IDEALS 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to appeal strongly to the reader's ideals. 

BASE YOUR STORY ON COMMON DESIRES 

Appeal to desires that many people hold. Some of 
the most common desires are the desire for food and 
shelter, the desire for money, the desire for personal 
power, and the desire to protect family and friends. 
When Ernest Thompson-Seton wrote his Biography of 
a Grizzly, he told much more than the story of the life 
of a grizzly bear. He told a story of emotions, such as 
a human being might feel, and such as a bear might be 
expected to feel. He presented the common desires for 
food, shelter, and power, so cleverly that he made the 
reader enter into the experiences of a bear, and sym- 
pathize fully with the creature of the forest. The com- 
mon bond between the desires of bear and of reader 
holds the reader's earnest attention. 



64 ENGLISH 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: APPEALING TO COMMON DESIRES 
To what common desires can you appeal in telling the following au- 
tobiographical stories? 

1 The autobiography of an old five-cent piece. 

2 The life history of a shingle from an old house. 

3 The story of a bird's nest. 

4 An old shoe and a pair of rubbers exchange histories. 

5 An old mirror, used in colonial days, reveals its history. 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO COMMON DESIRES 
Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to appeal strongly to the reader's own 
desires. 

BE TRUE TO LIFE 

Make everything that you write appear true, and 
closely related to human interests and human sym- 
pathies. 

Morgan Robertson, in one of his most ingenious 
stories, The Battle of the Monsters, is remarkably true 
to life, although he writes of the world of the micro- 
scope. In that story Morgan Robertson tells of what 
goes on in the veins and arteries when a person is 
inoculated against disease. In order to make scientific 
material interesting the writer speaks of the germs of 
disease, and of the corpuscles of the blood, as though 
they were persons who can think and talk as well as 
act. He speaks of the veins and arteries as though they 
were immense caverns in which forces representing 
good, and forces representing evil, fight in a long-drawn 
battle. The fact that the writer speaks of germs and 
corpuscles as though they were human beings in sur- 
roundings somewhat like our own awakens and holds 
the reader's interest. 

In order to create an appearance of reality use many 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 65 

definite words. Be very specific. Give many plausible 
details. Tell the exact size, shape, color, and appear- 
ance of objects and give photographic " pen-pic hires' ' 
of persons. Make people see what you describe. 

9 ORAL EXERCISE: BEING TRUE TO LIFE 
Tell how you can awaken interest, through truthfulness to life, in 
writing stories on the following themes: 

1 The memoirs of a walking-stick. 

2 The confessions of a counterfeit half-dollar. 

3 The family cat talks to her kittens. 

4 The horse and the dog discuss the family. 

5 The canary-bird writes an autobiography. 

10 WRITTEN EXERCISE: BEING TRUE TO LIFE 
Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject not drawn from human life. Give your story the quality of 
human interest. 

GIVE YOUR STORY RAPID ACTION 

One of the most interesting stories ever written is 
The Three Mwketeers, by Alexandre Dumas. That 
story is full of action from its first page to the last of 
its many pages. Something is always happening. 
There is always the flash of sword-blades, a quick es- 
cape, a gallop by night, a quick-witted rescue, a deed 
of loyal friendship, or an act of faithful service. Every 
interesting story has plenty of action. Make the char- 
acters in your own story act vigorously; make them do 
something worth while and accomplish something defi- 
nite. 

11 ORAL EXERCISE: DEVELOPING ACTION 
Tell how you can arouse interest, through vivid action, in writing 
stories on the following topics: 

1 What happened after the train had started. 

2 The events just before the party. 



66 ENGLISH 

3 The man who overcame almost everything that opposed 

him. 

4 The interior of a mysterious box. 

5 The consequences of keeping a foolish promise. 

12 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING ACTION 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other sub- 
ject that will permit you to develop interesting action. 

INTEREST IN ACTION DEPENDS ON INTEREST IN 
CHARACTER 

In telling The Three Musketeers, Dumas skilfully 
arouses interest, first of all, in the character of his hero, 
D'Artagnan, a poor young man who comes to Paris 
with nothing but wretched equipment, a loyal heart, 
great courage, and absolute self-confidence. In the 
story that follows, Dumas shows this young man suc- 
ceeding in spite of ridicule and the strongest opposition. 
The story is interesting because D'Artagnan is so real. 
When you write a story do everything in your power 
to make your characters appear real, so that they will 
awaken sympathy. You cannot arouse interest in ac- 
tion unless, at the same time, you arouse interest in 
character. 

13 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING CHARACTER 

Write a paragraph or two in which you present, in some detail, the 
principal character for one of the stories suggested below. Place more 
emphasis on the inner nature and the motives of your character than 
you do on his personal appearance. 

1 The reform of a bad character. 

2 Taking out the conceit. 

3 A would-be hero. 

4 A plot that failed. 

5 Grandmother's one adventure. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 67 

14 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING CHARACTER 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to develop strong interest in character. 

MAKE THE SITUATION CLEAR 

Unless you make your reader know just what you are 
talking about, and make him know just what problem 
you present, he will have slight interest in your story. 
In the opening part of any story put before your reader 
all the facts that are necessary for a clear understand- 
ing of the principal plot. Introduce all the characters 
that are needed; tell what the reader should know con- 
cerning their desires and motives, and give the reader 
some hint of the story that is to follow, — enough, at 
least, to arouse curiosity, and to set him at work try- 
ing to solve the main problem. 

GIVE AN INTERESTING PROBLEM 

When Frank R. Stockton wrote The Lady or the 
Tiger ? he gave his readers a problem that no one has 
yet solved. He told the story of a princess who became 
jealous of another woman. The princess ordered her 
rival thrown into the dungeons, and the man whose love 
both women desired, placed in the arena. At this point 
Stockton introduced his problem. He said that two 
doors opened into the arena. The imprisoned woman 
stood behind one door, and a hungry tiger crouched 
behind the other. The princess ordered the man to 
open one door. If he opened the one behind which 
stood the lady he must marry that woman at once. If 
he opened the other the tiger would devour him. In 
either case the princess would lose his love. At the 



68 ENGLISH 

moment when he started forward the princess gave the 
man, — whom she really loved, — a signal. The prob- 
lem is: was her love for the man great enough to lead 
her to indicate the door behind which the woman was 
concealed, — thus giving him to her rival, — or was her 
jealousy so great that it led her to indicate the door 
behind which waited the tiger? 

15 ORAL EXERCISE: PRESENTING A PROBLEM 

On what interesting question can you centre a story based on one 
of the following ? 

1 A boy sees two men, whom he suspects to be smugglers, 

carefully hiding a number of small objects. One of these 
drops to the ground and proves to be a bullet. 

2 An eccentric relative leaves a will in which he says that all 

his money is in a safe in his office. 

3 A boy makes promises to different groups of friends. 

4 At a picnic a sudden storm threatens actual danger. 

5 Some young people who have taken a long sleigh ride are 

caught in a blizzard. 

16 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRESENTING A PROBELM 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to develop an ingeniously contrived prob- 
lem or question. 

MAKE AN UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION 

Stories that the reader can guess from the begin- 
ning are not interesting. The story that is bright, 
unexpected, and surprising is one that is sure to in- 
terest. 0. Henry was particularly skilful in writing 
stories that rise to unexpected conclusions. In his 
Gift of the Magi O. Henry tells of a poverty-stricken 
husband and wife who wish to make each other Christ- 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 69 

mas presents. The wife cuts her long and beautiful 
hair in order to obtain money with which to buy a 
present for her husband. The husband sells his highly 
prized watch in order to obtain money with which to 
buy a present for his wife. At Christmas time it is 
found that the wife had bought a watch fob for her 
husband, and that he had bought a comb for her hair. 
Each character had sacrificed the thing most loved, but 
under the circumstances, neither had bought a gift 
that was at all useful. The unexpected conclusion in- 
terests every reader. 

17 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING AN UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION 

Tell what unexpected conclusions you can write for stories based on 
the following: 

1 A youngster rescues a person from drowning. 

2 A boy, wearing his first dress suit, boasts of the impression 

he will make. 

3 A farmer laughs at two boys who build a dam across a 

brook. 

4 A tramp offers to trade a fortune for a breakfast. 

5 Two boys, having overheard a plot to rob a bank, endeavor 

to thwart the plot. 

18 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING AN UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to make an unexpected conclusion. 

HOLD THE MAIN POINT 

When you try to hold interest by making your story 
rise to an unexpected climax hold the main point as 
long as possible. S. Weir Mitchell, in his story, A 
Dilemma, tells of a young man who is eager to inherit 
valuable jewels owned by a relative. In the end of the 



70 



ENGLISH 



story we learn that when the rich relative died he left 
the jewels in a box containing a powerful explosive. 
Opening the box would cause an explosion that would 
destroy the jewels. The relative had given the young 
man the ownership of the coveted jewels without giving 
him the selfish satisfaction of using them. If S. Weir 
Mitchell had told this principal point anywhere else 
than at the end of the story, he would have produced 
a less pleasing effect. 

19 ORAL EXERCISE: HOLDING THE PRINCIPAL POINT 

Tell how you can hold the principal point until the end in writing 
one of the stories suggested below: 

1 Opening the box of dynamite. 

2 Recovering the lost ring. 

3 Finding what was at the bottom of the well. 

4 Why the clock stopped every night at midnight. 

5 Why Charlotte was late every day. 

20 WRITTEN EXERCISE: HOLDING THE PRINCIPAL POINT 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to hold the principal point. 



MAKE EVERY PART OF YOUR STORY STRENGTHEN THE 
CLIMAX 

You cannot hold interest unless you centralize every 
minor point upon one single major point. Make your 
whole story rise toward the main point or climax. 
This means that you must leave out of your story 
everything that will not contribute, in at least a slight 
degree, toward the one effect to which you are working. 
In Jack London's story called War, Jack London tells 
the simple story of a young mounted soldier going on a 
scouting expedition. Jack London tells of the young 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 71 

man's adventures in going over a rough country, of the 
soldier's temptation to shoot some of the enemy whom 
he sees, and of how, in the end, he is himself shot by 
the very men whom he had spared. In this story 
Jack London gives a number of subordinate details, 
every one of which leads directly toward the desired 
effect, — that of sympathy for the boy hero, and of 
detestation of war. The writer speaks of the beauty of 
the day, of the quietness of the forest, of the youth and 
health and good spirits of the young soldier, of the boy's 
fondness for fruit, and of his stuffing his blouse full 
of red apples that roll out when he falls from his 
horse, shot by the men whom he had spared. Every 
one of these details awakens interest and arouses sym- 
pathy. Every effect points in the same direction. 

21 ORAL EXERCISE: DEVELOPING THE CLIMAX 

Below are given several topics on which it is possible to construct 
short stories. Suggest for every topic certain principal characters, 
and the one effect that you wish your story to produce. Then suggest 
a series of events that will best develop the one effect you have in mind. 

1 An adventure in the woods. 

2 Frightening the wrong man. 

3 A surprise party. 

4 The mystery of the old church tower. 

5 The fairy ring. 

22 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING THE CLIMAX 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other 
subject that will permit you to make every point lead to the climax. 

PRODUCE ONLY ONE EFFECT 

You can create the best interest when you develop 
one effect only. If you attempt to develop two effects, 



72 ENGLISH 

or more than two effects, you will divide your reader's 
attention. Your story must have one object, and one 
only. In The Dan-Nan-Ron by Fiona McLeod the 
one effect that the author wishes to produce is that of 
gloom and terror. The whole story from beginning to 
end is gloomy and mysterious. It ends in a passage of 
supreme horror. The story is full of weird suggestions 
of evil spirits and evil doings, and of hatred, revenge, 
and murder. Through it all runs mention of a strangely 
fascinating strain of music called The Dan-Nan-Ron, or 
The Song of the Seals, that at last calls the hero of the 
story to his death, struggling insanely in the water 
with a herd of frightened seals. 

23 ORAL EXERCISE: DEVELOPING SINGLE EFFECT 

What one effect can you produce in telling one of the following 
stories ? 

1 What happened in the old church. 

2 The mystery of Hurricane Mountain. 

3 The ingenuity of Pete McGan. 

4 Upset by the new clerk. 

5 The captain of the chorus. 

24 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING SINGLE EFFECT 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other sub- 
ject that will permit you to develop single effect. 

MAKE YOUR READER FEEL CURIOSITY 

In order to centralize your details, and to develop 
one principal effect, and one principal effect only, you 
must not only confine yourself to emphasizing a single 
main point, and to producing a single emotion, but you 
must also create suspense. You must make your reader 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 73 

wonder throughout the story what is to be the solution 
of the problem. 

When Edgar Allan Poe wrote Three Sundays in a 
Week he employed the principle of suspense. He told 
of a father who said that he would never allow his 
daughter to marry a certain young man whom she loved, 
until there were three Sundays in one week, a situation 
he thought impossible. At the end of the story, and 
not until then, Poe shows the reader how the young 
man proved to the father that there can be three 
Sundays in one week. The young man brings to the 
house one Sunday two sailors, one of whom had gone 
around the world in an easterly direction and thus 
gained a day; the other had gone around the world in 
a westerly direction and thus lost a day. The young 
man said: " To-day is Sunday." One sailor said: 
" To-morrow will be Sunday." The other sailor said: 
" Yesterday was Sunday." There were three Sundays 
in the week, — and the young man won the girl. 

25 WRITTEN EXERCISE: SOLVING A PROBLEM 

Write a series of short sentences that will show the movement of 
events, in one of the stories suggested below, toward a surprising end- 
ing not to be announced until the very last of the story. 

1 The lost pocketbook. 

2 The cause of the trouble. 

3 The work of the " Bogey Man." 

4 The children and the King of the Fairies. 

5 A knightly adventure. 

26 WRITTEN EXERCISE: SOLVING A PROBLEM 

Write one of the stories suggested above, or a story on any other sub- 
ject that will permit you to solve a problem. 



74 ENGLISH 



USE CONVERSATION 



In writing any story, make considerable use of con- 
versation. Conversation gives a story a lighter and 
more interesting appearance, and also a higher sense 
of reality. Look at almost any short story or novel, 
— say, 0. Henry's short stories, or any one of Dickens's 
novels, — and notice the comparatively large amount of 
conversation given. You are likely to wish to read a 
story that contains conversation, but you will put 
aside unread a story that presents a heavy, "dry" ap- 
pearance. 

When you write conversation, make the conversation 
sharp, quick, and pointed. Don't let your characters 
talk at great length. Make them speak as we speak in 
life, — a few words at a time. Make them speak natur- 
ally, and with a degree of vivacity and humor. 

27 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING CONVERSATION 

Write one of the conversations called for below, or any other con- 
versation that will be interesting. Make every effort to make the 
conversation quick, pointed, and humorous. 

1 Two girls helping a third girl buy a hat. 

2 The football coach talking with members of his team. 

3 Two teachers discussing the work of a class. 

4 Talking over things at home. 

5 A pupil trying to explain just why his marks are less than 

100 per cent. 

BE BRIEF 

Beginners in story-telling usually write too much 
description and too much explanation, and allow their 
characters to say and do too little. Make your story 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 75 

tell itself, while you keep in the background. Be as 
brief as possible. Leave out every detail that does not 
contribute to the principal effect. 

READ THOROUGHLY GOOD SHORT STORIES 

Read only the best short stories and you will soon 
gain an appreciation of artistic effects that will give 
you constant pleasure. If you like to write short sto- 
ries try to imitate the stories that please you most. 

You will find good short stories in any issue of the 
standard magazines, especially in The Atlantic, The 
Century Magazine, Harper's Magazine, and Scribner's 
Magazine. 

Read short stories by any of the following writers 
and you will find much that is worthy of imitation: 

Thomas Bailey Aldrich Myra Kelly 

Henry Cuyler Bunner Rudyard Kipling 

Richard Harding Davis Jack London 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Thomas Nelson Page 

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman Edgar Allan Poe 

Bret Harte F. Hopkinson Smith 

Nathaniel Hawthorne Robert Louis Stevenson 

O. Henry Frank R. Stockton 

Washington Irving Henry van Dyke 

28 ORAL EXERCISE: A CRITICAL REPORT 

Read a short story published in one of the magazines named above, 
or a short story written by one of the authors just named. What single 
effect did the writer make ? What characteristics of the story are par- 
ticularly worthy of imitation ? 

29 WRITTEN EXERCISE: LETTERS OF CRITICISM 

The members of the class will exchange stories that they have 
written. Every member will write a letter to the author of the story 
that he receives, telling in what ways the story is good, and in what 
ways the story can be improved. 



LESSON VI 

MAKING A RECITATION 

YOU WISH TO RECITE WELL 

"Oh! I did want to make a good recitation! I 
studied two hours — and then I couldn't say what I 
knew ! What can I do ? " 

If you studied, and failed, it is only natural that you 
should feel grieved. 

The first requisite to making a good recitation is an 
actual body of facts. Unless you are sufficiently in- 
formed, you cannot possibly make a recitation at all. 
Good preparation, — which means thoughtful study, — 
is essential to the making of any satisfactory recitation. 
On the other hand, there are many times, when yoii 
have studied faithfully, when you find that you do not 
recite well. After a failure under such conditions, you 
feel a keen sense of disappointment, and even of in- 
justice. You realize that you have information but that 
you do not have the information at your command. 

Making a recitation, like doing almost anything else, 
is more or less a matter of practice. There are bad 
ways of reciting, and there are remarkably good ways. 
Making a good recitation, and playing a good game of 
ball, depend alike upon a certain amount of knowl- 
edge, upon following principles that lead to success, 
and upon a large amount of practice. 

76 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 77 

ANSWER IN COMPLETE SENTENCES 

In the first place, even if your teacher should permit 
it, do not answer merely with a word, a phrase, a clause, 
or with any fractional part of a sentence. In conver- 
sation, it is true, we frequently answer in words, in 
phrases, or in fractional parts of sentences, — for collo- 
quial language permits almost anything. So, too, 
when we idly amuse ourselves, we throw a ball care- 
lessly, but when we practise for baseball we throw the 
ball just as well as we can. A recitation hour, like an 
hour of baseball practice, is for a practical purpose. A 
recitation is to give practice in thinking, in talking, 
and in the general use of language. 

Form well-rounded sentences when you answer 
questions given to you in the course of any recitation. 

If you do this consistently and conscientiously, day 
after day, you will gain a degree of practice in forming 
sentences that later on will aid you greatly in the writ- 
ing of sentences. Certainly if you learn to make good 
oral sentences you will learn at the same time to make 
good written sentences. 

You are studying Ivanhoe. Your teacher asks you: 
"What are the chief characteristics of Cedric?" You 
can answer with one word, such as " Pride, " or with 
several words, such as "Hatred of the Normans. " You 
can answer in a more extended way, saying: "Pride in 
all the Anglo-Saxon ideals/' or "Stubborn and unyield- 
ing resistance to the Normans." 

Such answers are correct, but they give you no prac- 
tice in forming sentences. Such answers tend to 
establish bad habits of expression. They do not aid 



78 ENGLISH 

you to express your thoughts fully. They are not 
likely to do you justice. 

REPEAT THE IMPORTANT WORDS OF THE QUESTION 

You will be more likely to answer well if you will do 
as follows: 

1 Repeat in the answer the most important words 

of the question. 

2 In the first sentence, or in the first two or three 

sentences, indicate at least three parts for your 
answer. 

3 Later, develop all the parts in the order in which 

you named them first. 
You are asked such a question as: "What was the 
character of Silas Marner before he left Lantern Yard ? " 
Repeat the most important words of the question. 
Say: "The character of Silas Marner before he left 
Lantern Yard. . . ." Now suggest at least three 
divisions for your complete answer: "The character of 
Silas Marner before he left Lantern Yard was that 
of a kind, loving, honest, God-fearing man." When 
you have said this, take up the four points — "kind, 
loving, honest, God-fearing" — one by one and show 
that every point is important. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: REPEATING THE WORDS OF THE QUESTION AND 
INDICATING IMPORTANT DIVISIONS OF THOUGHT 

Answer one of the following questions by repeating the important 
words of the question, and by indicating important divisions of thought: 

1 Why did the Ancient Mariner tell his story to the Wed- 

ding Guest? 

2 Why did the Ancient Mariner shoot the albatross? 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 79 

3 Were the companions of the Ancient Mariner guilty of 

wrong-doing ? 

4 In how many ways was the Ancient Mariner punished? 

5 What is the meaning of "Life in Death"? 

6 What is the turning point of The Ancient Mariner? 

7 To what sort of people does the Ancient Mariner tell his 

story ? 

8 What supernatural incidents appear in the story of The 

Ancient Mariner ? 

9 What natural beauty does The Ancient Mariner emphasize ? 
10 What is the meaning of The Ancient Mariner? 

" PLAY UP THE FEATURE " OF YOUR ANSWER 

In Lessons I and II you learned that in telling news 
it is best to tell the principal feature first. You learned 
to emphasize most strongly the point of greatest value. 
Apply this principle to making a recitation. 

You are asked: "What are the chief characteristics 
of Cedric in Ivanhoe?" You can "play up the fea- 
ture M by answering: 

"An obstinate pride in the ideals and manners of his fore- 
fathers, and an unyielding resistance to the Norman invaders 
of England, characterized Gedric." 

You are asked : " How did the coming of Effie change 
the character of Silas Marner?" You can "play up 
the feature" by answering: 

"Never was a man's character changed for the better more 
thoroughly and more quickly than when Effie came into Silas 
Marner's life. From being unhappy, miserable and wretched, 
he became happy, care-free, and contented/ ' 

The rules for making a good recitation of this type 
are as follows: 



80 ENGLISH 

1 Answer in a complete sentence, or in a group of 

complete sentences. 

2 " Play up the Feature " of your answer by naming 

the important points first, or by emphasizing 
the important points in any other way. 

3 Add a few supporting details in the form of modi- 

fiers, or in the form of explanatory sentences. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING A RECITATION EMPHASIZE 
IMPORTANT POINTS 

Answer the following questions with regard to any book that you have 
read recently. Emphasize the important feature of every answer. 

1 What is the event of greatest interest? 

2 What is the character of the hero? 

3 How does the book begin? 

4 Where does the story take place? 

5 Why do you like or dislike the story? 

6 What leads you to think the book has permanent value? 

7 How does the book resemble any other book that you 

have read? 

8 What is the theme of the book? 

9 What characterizes the style of the book? 

10 What does the book show concerning the author? 

ANSWER IN ORAL PARAGRAPHS 

You are still more likely to answer well if you make an 
extended answer. Instead of answering in a single 
sentence, answer in a group of sentences. Make a well- 
formed paragraph. 

In your first sentence repeat the important words of 
the question, or "play up the feature/' just as you do 
when you answer with only a single sentence. Make 
the first sentence just as condensed, and just as ex- 
pressive, as though it were to be your only answer. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 81 

Then, by further explanation, by example, by quota- 
tion, or by other means, establish the points that you 
present in your first or topic sentence. You will make 
your thought strikingly clear, and you will emphasize 
all that you say. 

Here is an answer of the extended type, given by a 
pupil who was asked the question: "What sort of 
place is the town of Raveloe in which Silas Marner 
lived ?" 

"Raveloe, where Silas Marner lived, is a typical rural town. 
Its people are for the most part ignorant, good-hearted, and 
prone to gossip. They have a very strict code of morals, and 
are inclined to be hypocritically pious. It was this last char- 
acteristic of theirs that forced Silas Marner to live his secluded 
life apart from all the rest. George Eliot portrayed the char- 
acter of these small-town folks so well that one might take a 
description of them as a true picture of English rural people. 
The town itself has no outstanding characteristic to raise it 
above the level of the average English village. There is the 
usual manor of the wealthy squire; the tavern where the idlers 
of the village congregate, and the small parish church. In such 
an unprogressive and prudish town Silas Marner lived, little 
known, with but few acquaintances, and not a single friend." 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING EXTENDED ANSWERS 

Imagine that you have been called upon to recite on one of the follow- 
ing questions. Write an extended answer, such as you might give 
orally in class. 

1 What was Washington Irving's attitude toward old cus- 

toms? 

2 What parts of London most interested Irving? 

3 How does Coleridge indicate that The Ancient Mariner is 

a story of the past? 

4 In what ways is the language of The Ancient Mariner dif- 

ferent from our own? 



82 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

5 Where is the scene of Treasure Island ? 

6 What is the most notable characteristic of Dr. Livesey? 

7 What is the most notable characteristic of Telemachus? 

8 Why did the Greeks admire Odysseus? 

9 Why do we sympathize with Adam in As You Like It f 
10 Why do we like Touchstone? 

4 ORAL EXERCISE: CRITICISING ANSWERS 
Tell in what respects the following answers are good, and in what 
respects they are not good: 

What are the characteristics of Edgar Allan Poe's 
poem, The Raven? 

The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, is a sad and gloomy poem. 
A mournful lover, moved by the loss of his sweetheart, tries to 
drown his sorrows in books. At night, when he thinks of his 
lost one, her spirit seems to haunt him. In the midst of his 
reveries he is interrupted by a raven that flies into his room 
and perches upon a statue. The raven had probably escaped 
from a grief-stricken person, for all he could utter was one 
word, " Nevermore." This word so fits in with the thoughts of 
the mournful lover that its repetition makes him feel more 
wretched. 

What is the central thought of Gray's Elegy in a 
Country Churchyard? 

The central thought in Gray's Elegy is that glory, splendor, 
and pomp lead only to the grave. The rich and the poor, all 
alike, must die. Trophies and marble monuments cannot re- 
call life to the dead. People who lie in humble graves might 
have been great if they had had the chance. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A LETTER CONCERNING THE MAKINGJ 
OF A RECITATION 

Write a letter to a friend in another school telling him how to make 
good recitations. 



LESSON VII 

WRITING A COMPOSITION 
THE BEST SUBJECTS ARE CLOSE AT HAND 

"Next Tuesday every member of the class will hand 
in a composition." 

How dreadfully the words fall upon the ear! It 
is such a burden to write even a short composition ! 

Then, all too often, it seems, the teacher of English 
asks you to write compositions of considerable length, 
— whether five hundred, one thousand, fifteen hun- 
dred, or two thousand words long. To most students 
the writing of the compositions is a real "bugbear." 

REAL INTEREST COMPELS EXPRESSION 

The secret of composition writing lies in finding a 
subject of which you really know something, and of 
which you wish to speak. When you have something 
to say, you naturally wish to communicate your thought 
to some one else. Even in a crowd, men turn to 
strangers and make remarks. Their thoughts compel 
them to speak. 

The first thing to do to make composition writing 
easy is to find something worth while to say. 

When you have a subject that represents your inter- 
ests you cannot help telling about it to others, either 
in speech or in writing. You will try: 

1 To tell what you have done. 

2 To describe something that you have seen. 

83 



84 ENGLISH 

3 To explain something that you believe you under- 

stand. 

4 To persuade some one to do something. 

5 To interest some one else in what interests you. 

6 To give some one else pleasure in what gives you 

pleasure. 

YOUR SUBJECTS SHOULD BE THE SUBJECTS YOU SPEAK 
ABOUT IN CONVERSATION 

Nothing is easier to find than a subject about which 
to write. Think of something that interested you so 
much that you spoke about it to some one: — that is 
your subject. You have already spoken about it. 
Write on paper, in a single sentence, as nearly as you 
can remember, just what you said. That one sentence 
is your theme. 

Make it your rule, when circumstances permit, not 
to write a composition on any subject unless you have 
first said something about that subject, and have 
written down on paper just what you said. 

NO SUBJECT IS TOO TRIVIAL, IF PROPERLY TREATED 

Much that you say concerns trivial, unimportant 
matters, but sometimes even the most trivial subjects 
are worthy of development into long compositions. 
Select subjects you believe important, but do not con- 
sider any subject beneath your notice. 

THE BEST SUBJECTS ARE THOSE THAT INTEREST 
THE MOST PEOPLE 

Generally speaking, the best subjects are those that 
will interest a great number of ordinary people. If 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 85 

you write only on subjects on which you have already 
said something in ordinary conversation you are not 
likely to select uninteresting subjects. 

In your daily conversation you speak most frequently 
of subjects that come well within your knowledge and 
experience. Those subjects are the best subjects on 
which you can write, for they truly represent you and 
your thoughts. 

Rely more and more upon what you see and hear, 
and give specific details in proof of any general state- 
ments you make. 

YOUR SUBJECTS ARE ALL CLOSE AT HAND 

You speak every day concerning what you see. You 
do not need to go to encyclopaedias to find subjects. 
The best possible subjects are those that you see in 
your own neighborhood every day. 

The world is a most interesting world, full of fun 
and sadness, of play and of work. Open your eyes to 
the interesting things around you every day of your 
life. The streets where you live are as interesting as 
were the streets of ancient Rome or of Shakespeare's 
London. The people you see every day are doing pa- 
tient, or faithful, or difficult, or skilful, or heroic work, 
just as people did in all past ages of the world. A 
wedding is as romantic now as a wedding was in the 
days of romance; a funeral is as sad as a funeral 
ever was. The school in which you spend your time 
bristles with subjects, — and every pupil has a story 
of remarkable experiences, of strange sights, or of 
distant places. 



86 ENGLISH 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FINDING A SUBJECT 
t Write five remarks that you have recently made concerning things 
that you see every day. 

2 Write five remarks that you have recently made concerning sub- 

jects on which you have intimate personal knowledge. 

3 Write five remarks that you have recently made concerning sub- 

jects of present general interest. 

4 Write five remarks that you have recently made concerning sub- 

jects of considerable importance. 

MAKE A LIST OF SUBJECTS 

Read Nathaniel Hawthorne's Note Books and you 
will see that that great writer jotted down every day 
the subjects that interested him, and that he thought 
would interest others. As he walked in the city or in 
the country; as he read books, or as he meditated, he 
made mental note of interesting subjects. As soon as 
he could do so, he noted these subjects in a note-book. 
He did not find time to write on most of the subjects, 
but he had a great list from which to choose whenever 
he wished to write. 

Do as Hawthorne did. Keep a note-book, and fill 
it with suggestions. Note hundreds of subjects, and 
choose from your list of good subjects when you wish 
to write. 

The best way to find subjects is to find them every 
day, and to find them everywhere. 

1 Why I like Saturday and Sunday. 

2 Is the school acquainted with itself? 

3 Boxing is good fun. 

4 My advice to a freshman. 

5 How many real Americans do I know? 




FOR IMMEDIATE USE 87 

6 Why does every one use slang? 

7 An honor society helps every one. 

8 How to waste time. 

9 What is the good of a college education? 

10 Are you behind the times? 

11 Are most of the students loyal to the school? 

12 Why go to school? 

13 What good is a high-school education? 

14 Can every one help school athletics? 

15 Is the school library interesting? 

16 What is an ideal teacher? 

17 How can any one be a leader in school? 

18 What do the seniors do for the school? 

19 How students act out of school. 

20 The history of my favorite club. 

21 Plans for the coming season. 

22 The story of a graduate of our school. 

23 A victory in mathematics. 

24 The best kind of coach. 

25 A real laboratory discovery. 

26 How our school makes good citizens. 

27 A review of a new book. 

28 The advantages of having a general organization. 

If you are unable to find good subjects by your own 
observation and thought, look into Hawthorne's Note 
Books and take one of the subjects that he suggested 
but that he did not find time to write about. You will 
find his suggestions full of originality and fancy. 

WRITE A TEST SENTENCE 

In Hawthorne's Note Books you will see that Haw- 
thorne did more than note subjects. He wrote sug- 
gestions in sentence form, — sometimes in a single sen- 
tence, — sometimes in several sentences. 



88 ENGLISH 

When you have a subject that you like, write a 
single sentence, or a paragraph, that will preserve your 
ideas until you are ready to use them. 

Your subject may be, Living in the Country. If you 
can write a good sentence, or a good paragraph, on 
that subject, you will be able to write a good composi- 
tion on it. 

You may write: 

"The country has advantages in health, in pleasure, and 
in freedom that the city does not have." 

If you can write that much, you are certain that 
you can write more. You will plan to explain the 
advantages in health, in pleasure, and in freedom that 
the country has. You will plan to illustrate every 
advantage by telling an anecdote, or by making some 
other form of illustration. You will plan to write 
introductory material, and to add a conclusion that 
will give emphasis. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A TEST SENTENCE 

1 Make a list of five subjects that interest you. 

2 Select the subject in which you are most interested, and write 
a single sentence concerning it. In that sentence indicate at least three 
divisions of thought that you may develop later when you write the 
full composition. 

GATHER MATERIAL 

When you have selected a subject in which you are 
interested, prepare to gather more material. In Lesson 
XXV you will find detailed directions for gathering 
material. In general, do as follows: 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 89 

1 Go once again to the source that inspired you to 

utter the original sentence concerning your 
subject. 

2 Observe your subject more closely. 

3 Ask people whom you heard speak about your 

subject to tell you more about it, or to tell 
you where you can find more about it. 

4 Go to any librarian and ask where you can find 

more concerning your subject. 

5 Read all that has been printed about your subject. 

TAKE FULL NOTES 

In doing all this, take notes as a reporter does. 

Perhaps, in the first place, you said something con- 
cerning a noticeable building. Now you wish to write 
on that subject. Go once more to the building that 
attracted your attention. Take out your note-book 
and write down the details that you notice on close 
observation. Talk with your friends, to whom you 
spoke in the first place, and write down the suggestions 
their words give you. Make all your preparation a note- 
book preparation. Prepare yourself just as a reporter 
prepares himself for writing an important article. 

MAKE AN OUTLINE 

When you have taken full notes, make an outline. 
In Lesson VIII you will find specific directions for 
making an outline. 

In general divide your outline into three parts: 

I Introduction. 
II Body. 
Ill Conclusion. 



90 ENGLISH 

If you write an outline or a brief, as explained in Les- 
son VIII, you will provide for yourself what every good 
workman needs — a plan for work to be accomplished. 

WRITE A SENTENCE FOR EVERY SUBORDINATE THOUGHT 

Your thoughts on a subject will fall under a few 
headings, — sometimes three, sometimes five, and some- 
times more. For an ordinary school composition, you 
need only a few headings. Write in sentence form the 
several subordinate thoughts that will develop your 
principal thought. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A GENERAL PLAN 

1 Write another list of five subjects that interest you, and that are 
likely to interest others. 

2 On the subject that you like best, write a sentence that will show 
the thought that you have in mind. Then write several subordinate 
sentences that will show the subordinate or supporting thoughts. 

THE INTRODUCTION PREPARES THE WAY 

The purpose of an introduction is to awaken your 
reader's interest in your subject. Any way of awaken- 
ing interest makes a thoroughly good introduction. 

Present the case. Tell what aroused your own inter- 
est. Tell something concerning the history of the 
subject. Say anything that will make your reader 
understand your subject, and that will make him in- 
terested in it. 

It may be necessary to define terms or to explain 
just what it is that you are talking about. 

At the same time outline the treatment that you are 
going to give your subject. Indicate your purpose in 
writing, and tell the principal features of the plan that 
you will follow. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 91 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING AN INTRODUCTION 

Write a short introduction for a composition on one of the following 
subjects, or on any other subject that interests you. Awaken interest 
in your subject. Present the case in full. Define unusual terms. Tell 
about the history of your subject. Indicate the nature of your treat- 
ment, and your general plan. 

1 Thoughts at graduation 10 Life in the country 

2 How to make a candlestick 11 What makes a good lunch 

3 The mechanism of a rifle 12 How to care for pigeons 

4 The adventures of a piece 13 The best kind of pie 

of wood 14 A good stamp collection 

5 Chemistry in daily life 15 I hate mosquitoes 

6 Military training 16 The fortune-teller 

7 The management of a 17 Why not whisper? 

camp 18 What I think about "tat- 

8 The work of the Boy tling" 

Scouts 19 How to make griddle-cakes 

9 Doing things for yourself 20 An interesting puzzle 

THE BODY OF THE COMPOSITION PRESENTS YOUR 
THOUGHT 

The introduction introduces the subject and arouses 
interest. The body of the composition tells all that 
you have to say on the subject. It is an expansion of 
the sentence that you wrote first as the subject of 
your composition. 

The body, therefore, should consist of a number of 
different points that establish the truth of your one 
thought. Take up these points one by one, and make 
the presentation of every point unified and complete. 

When you wrote your first sentence you expressed 
one thought. In the body of your composition keep 
to that one thought. Add further information in sup- 
port of your original statement, but say one thing and 



92 ENGLISH 

one thing only. Make the body of your composition 
a unit, atid make it represent all that you have to say 
on your subject. 

PROVE EVERY GENERAL STATEMENT 

Avoid making unsupported general statements. 
Give a sufficient number of details or specific examples 
to make the truth of what you say perfectly clear. 

GIVE FAMILIAR EXAMPLES TO PROVE EVERY 
GENERAL STATEMENT 

Plan to establish the truth of every general state- 
ment, not only by giving definite examples, but by giv- 
ing examples of a nature familiar to your readers. 

If you make the general statement: " Exercise is 
worth while/' you may establish its truth by writing, 
as definite examples of that statement, the stories of 
two or three people whom you know, and whom your 
readers know, — who profited by exercise. 

Does it pay to be a good student? There is not the slightest 
question about it. It does pay, — and it pays well. 

"Bert" Hawley, — who spoke in the assembly last week, — is 
an example. He entered this schpol determined to do his best. 
He mastered every subject he took. He joined clubs, and he 
played on teams. As a result he was made a member of the 
Arista, the honor society of the school; he was elected president 
of the General Organization; he was made captain of the 
football team. Then he graduated with honors. 

Now he is about to graduate from college, where he has done 
just what he did here — and he has his Phi Beta Kappa key 
now. 

Did it pay him to be a good student? Of course it did, and 
that is why we all applauded so when he came back to the old 
school. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 93 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PROVING A GENERAL STATEMENT BY GIVING 

A DEFINITE EXAMPLE 

1 Make another list of five subjects that interest you, and that are 
likely to interest others. 

2 Write three definite illustrations, within your own experience, — 
and within your readers' experiences, — that will prove the truth of one 
of the general statements that you will make in a composition on the 
subject you like best. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING AN OUTLINE FOR THE BODY OF 

THE COMPOSITION 

1 Write a remark that you made recently on some worthy subject of 

general interest. 

2 Write an outline of the various points that you propose to con- 

sider in the body of a composition that will support the truth 
of what you said. 

THE CONCLUSION SHOULD ADD EMPHASIS 

At the end of your composition, write a short con- 
clusion. The object of a conclusion is to emphasize 
what has been said. Summarize the principal points 
presented; make emphatic assertions, or appeal strongly 
to the emotions. At the very close of your composition 
say something that will strongly affect the reader. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A CONCLUSION 

Write a conclusion for a composition on one of the following subjects, 
or on any other subject that interests you. Write your conclusion so 
that it will leave on the reader a compelling impression. 

1 The way to gain a baseball 6 The purpose of schools 





championship 7 


Being a freshman 


2 


The value of system 8 


Being a senior 


3 


Mechanical drawing is 9 


Too much to do 




worth while 10 


What makes a school? 


4 


The making of a book 11 


How to catch fish 


5 


The moral value of football 12 


The best kind of apples 



94 




ENGLISH 


13 


A family coat of arms 


17 Why I like moccasins 


14 


Sister's admirers 


18 "Castles in Spain" 


15 


Unusual buttons 


19 Bead bags 


16 


Silk stockings 


20 The use of algebra 



MAKE YOUR TREATMENT UNIFORM 

The treatment that you give your subject must be 
appropriate. Avoid flippancy when you write on 
serious subjects. Avoid a heavy and ponderous style 
when you write on subjects of trifling importance. 
You may be serious or whimsical, light or fanciful, 
calm or spirited, but keep one tone throughout and 
make your treatment uniform. 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING TREATMENT UNIFORM 

Write original sentences on which you could develop compositions 
of the following types. Make a full plan for at least one composition: 

1 A serious composition. 

2 A whimsical composition. 

3 A broadly humorous composition. 

4 A fanciful composition. 

5 A calmly reflective composition. 

6 A very spirited composition. 

REVISE YOUR FIRST WORK 

Write your first draft with lead pencil, on paper that 
you expect to throw away. Write just as hastily as 
you please, and give all your attention to expressing 
your thought. Depart from your outline at any time. 
Do anything that will aid you to express your thought. 

When you have written all that you have to say on 
your subject, take your pencil and revise your 1 work. 
Correct errors of every kind. Cross out unnecessary 
words, or unnecessary paragraphs. Add details or 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 95 

paragraphs to strengthen what you have said. Make 
any and every change that will make your composition 
represent your thought, and at the same time be correct 
in expression. 

MAKE A NEAT FINAL COPY 

Last of all, make a final copy of your composition. 
Write slowly, carefully, and neatly. Make your com- 
position artistic in appearance. When you have done 
all that you can to make your composition good you 
will be able to submit it with the satisfaction of know- 
ing that it represents you and your best work. 

9 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A COMPLETE COMPOSITION 

1 Write five original sentences suitable for the subjects of long com- 

positions that will thoroughly represent your best self. 

2 Write, in full, one of the compositions suggested by your five 

sentences. Adapt your treatment to your theme. Develop 
your thought in full. End your composition so that it will 
leave on the reader a strong impression. 

10 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A LETTER CONCERNING THE SELECTION 
OF SUBJECTS 

Imagine that a friend of yours in another school has written to you 
asking how to select subjects for school compositions. He is to write 
in competition for a prize. Give him full and friendly advice. 

11 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A SUBJECT NOTE-BOOK 

From day to day during the school year write down in a carefully 
prepared note-book, — to be kept permanently, — a list of subjects that you 
believe are worthy of development into compositions. In every case 
write an expressive sentence, preferably a sentence founded upon a re- 
mark that you have made. Number every suggestion for a composition. 
After every suggestion leave one or two lines in your note-book blank. 
Make the note-book represent your most sincere thoughts. 



LESSON VIII 

OUTLINING 
AN OUTLINE IS A GREAT HELP 

One of the most popular present-day American nov- 
elists says that when he prepares to write a novel he 
spends several months making an outline. He makes 
change after change, mapping out every detail. When 
he has prepared an outline to his satisfaction, he says 
he does not find it at all difficult to write a novel. 

Some famous writers, like Sir Walter Scott and 
Victor Hugo, wrote without making outlines. An out- 
line is not a necessity; it is a help. 

USE A DEFINITE SYSTEM OF NUMBERING AND 
LETTERING AN OUTLINE 

In order to distinguish the parts of an outline or 
brief, use a definite system of numbering and lettering. 
Number all principal headings with Roman numerals: 
I, II, III, IV, V, etc. Letter all important subordinate 
headings with capital letters: A, B, C, D, E, etc. Num- 
ber all minor headings with Arabic figures: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 
6, etc. 

Divide your outline or brief into three sections: 



I 


Introduction 


II 


Body 


III 


Conclusion 



96 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 97 

The numbering and the lettering for an ordinary- 
school composition should be somewhat as follows: 



I Introduction 

A 
B 

1 

2 
3 

II Body 

A 

1 

B 

1 
2 

C 

1 
2 
3 

1 
2 



D 



III Conclusion 

A 

1 
2 

B 

1 
2 



98 ENGLISH 

Under every one of the three principal sections make 
the proper lettering and numbering to indicate sub- 
ordinate divisions. 

If you wish to make further subdivisions than those 
just indicated, write: (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), etc. 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN OUTLINE AND A BRIEF 

An outline is formed of detached words and phrases. 
It contains no complete statements. A brief is formed 
of sentences. It contains nothing except complete 
statements. 

WRITE SUGGESTIONS AS THEY OCCUR TO YOU 

When you are ready to write a composition, take a 
piece of paper and a lead-pencil, and write down in 
any order the thoughts that come to you, writing only 
a few words for every thought. 

When you have written all the suggestions you can 
think of, look over the suggestions, and number them 
in the order that you think best. Your plan, at this 
stage, will look something like the following: 



— ' ■ ■ ' ... , — 

How to Plan for a Picnic 


2 


Place 


6 


Lunch 


3 


People 


4 


Going there 


7 


Cooking 


1 


Date and time of day 


5 


Sports 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



99 



Now rewrite your plan in proper order. It will 
then look as follows: 



How to Plan for a Picnic 


1 


Date and time of day 


2 


Place 


3 


People 


4 


Going there 


5 


Sports 


6 


Lunch 


7 


Cooking 



EXTEND AN OUTLINE IN PROPORTION TO YOUR NEEDS 

This is the beginning of an outline, and sometimes it 
is all the outline you need. If you are sent to the 
blackboard to write a short composition, write at one 
corner of the board such a simple outline as this. 

Extend an outline in proportion to your needs. 
Make just as many subordinate headings as you please. 

Under section three you might write : 



III People 

A Young people 

1 Boys 

2 Girls 
B Older people 

1 Men 

2 Women 



1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A SHORT OUTLINE 

1 Write five subjects suitable for short blackboard compositions. 

2 Write a simple outline for a blackboard composition on the sub- 
ject you like best. 



100 ENGLISH 

WRITE A BRIEF IN COMPLETE STATEMENTS 

If you are to prepare some particularly thoughtful 
composition, such as a prize essay, a debate, or a grad- 
uation oration, write a brief. 

Use the same system of numbering and lettering 
that you use for an outline, but write full, simple sen- 
tences, or complete statements in the form of clauses. 
Do not write compound sentences, and do not write 
complex sentences, unless you divide those sentences 
into sections, as follows: 



A Young children should not be allowed to work in factories, 
because 
(1) They will injure their health 



Write every part of a brief so that every part will be 
expressed by a complete statement. If you wish, use 
words that show relation, like " because/ 7 "for," 
"if," "when," "although," etc. 

SOME "LITERARY" DOGS 

I Introduction: Literature tells us much about dogs. 

A The dog, for ages, has been man's companion. 

1 The most ancient records tell about dogs. 

2 The Bible speaks of dogs. 

3 Later literature tells about dogs. 

4 Modern books say much about dogs. 
B Literature reflects life. 

1 Literature has much to say about dogs. 

2 Some "literary" dogs have peculiar interest. 
II Body. The dog in literature has human qualities. 

A Rip Van Winkle's "Wolf " was like "Rip." 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 101 

B "Bill" Sykes's "Bullseye" was better than "Bill." 
C The watch-dog in Evangeline was a true Acadian. 
D "Bevis," in Woodstock, was admirable. 
E Some dogs in modern literature are notable for char- 
acter. 

1 Walter Dyer's " Gulliver the Great" was a hero. 

2 The dog in The Call of the Wild became a de- 
generate. 

Ill Conclusion. The dog approaches human character. 
A Literature tells about many kinds of dogs. 

1 It tells of bad dogs. 

2 It tells of good dogs. 

B Literature shows the dog as almost entirely human in 
character. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A BRIEF 

1 Write five subjects suitable for long, serious compositions, such as 
you might write for term compositions, debates, or graduation orations. 

2 Write a complete brief for a term composition, a debate, or a 
graduation oration, on the subject you like best. 

If you wish you may select one of the following 
subjects: 

1 Every one should read good newspapers. 

2 The study of Latin and Greek is worth while. 

3 There are heroes in every-day life. 

4 Some recent novels are worthy of high praise. 

5 The public library does much for public education. 

6 Women have been great leaders. 

7 The future offers great promise for the place in which I live. 

8 Every person should be self-educated. 

9 History repeats itself. 

10 Every street should be made beautiful. 

11 Manual training is an important part of a school course. 

12 Trifles are often exceedingly important. 

13 Great pictures have practical value. 

14 The theatre is an influence for good. 

15 A good cause makes a stout heart. 



LESSON IX 

BEGINNING A COMPOSITION 
A GOOD INTRODUCTION LEADS INTO THE SUBJECT 

It is really a difficult thing to begin any piece of 
writing. Some writers say that the best way to begin 
a composition is to write as good an introduction as 
you can, and then to throw it away. They mean that 
a writer is likely to wander about in writing before he 
begins to express his real thought. 

Plan to write for every composition as good an in- 
troduction as you can write. Perhaps you will write 
the introduction so well that you will not wish to throw 
it away after all. At any rate, you may be sure that 
writing an introduction will lead you into your subject. 
If you write a good introduction you will lead your 
readers into sympathy and understanding with you. 

ANNOUNCE YOUR SUBJECT 

4 

Announce the exact subject on which you will write. 

SENTENCES ANNOUNCING SUBJECTS 

1 The sale of tickets for the new annual has begun. 

2 One of the most worthy of all charitable causes is the Hoover 

European Relief Fund. 

3 My attention was attracted recently to a magazine article 

on " Depreciation," or wearing out. 

4 Few in our school realize how successful our graduates are 

in after life. 

5 Nicknames of towns, cities, and States often have interest- 

ing stories connected with them. 
102 






ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 103 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ANNOUNCING A SUBJECT 

Select a suitable subject for a composition that will interest your 
classmates. Write the introduction, paying particular attention to 
making the announcement of your subject. 

DEFINE UNUSUAL TERMS 

Define all the unusual terms in your title, and ex- 
plain anything that will help your reader to under- 
stand the subject. 

DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS 

1 The course in Qualitative Analysis is a course wherein un- 

known compounds in a solution are determined by various 
chemical tests. 

2 A pattern is an object made of wax, plaster of Paris, wood, 

or of some other solid substance, and it is used to make 
an impression in a mould for a desired casting. 

3 The sliding-wing airplane is an airplane that has a device 

by means of which the extent of wing-surface may be 
reduced during flight. 

4 Success, as I understand it, does not mean the gaining of 

money nor the gaining of fame, but the doing of some- 
thing a little better than most other people do it. 

5 To the angler fishing is not work; it is recreation. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEFINING UNUSUAL TERMS 

Select a subject on which you are well informed, and on which your 
classmates are not well informed. Write the introduction for a compo- 
sition on that subject, paying great attention to telling just what you 
have in mind, and to denning unusual words. 

TELL WHY YOUR SUBJECT IS INTERESTING 

Tell what reasons make your subject interesting at 
the time when you write, 

TELLING WHY A SUBJECT HAS PRESENT INTEREST 

1 To-day people pay more attention to birds, to trees, and 
to flowers than they ever did before. 



104 ENGLISH 

2 Every one of us has made some blunder because he has 

hurried. Nations also have blundered because they 
have hurried. 

3 We see changes take place in our school, term by term. 

In the course of many years great changes have taken 
place. 

4 Any one who wears a cotton dress, or who uses cotton cloth 

at all, is interested in cotton. 

5 Exactly one hundred and twelve years ago, this month, a 

very great musician was born near the city of Warsaw 
in Poland. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING WHY A SUBJECT HAS 
PRESENT INTEREST 

Select a subject in which you have interest, and in which you believe 
many others have interest. Write the introduction for a composition 
on that subject, paying most attention to showing why your subject 
is interesting. 

TELL THE HISTORY OF THE SUBJECT 

If it is necessary, add information concerning the 
history of your subject, telling about its origin, its 
development, the great events connected with it, and 
the recent events that make it especially important. 

TELLING SOMETHING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF A SUBJECT 

Two or three years ago some one suggested that a First Aid 
Society be formed to give help in any emergency, whether of 
sickness or of accident. Every class appointed representatives. 
The class representatives met and formed a society under the 
supervision of Dr. Grant. Since that time the First Aid 
Society has done much for the school. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING SOMETHING ABOUT THE 
HISTORY OF A SUBJECT 

Select a subject that will be of general interest to the pupils in your 
school. Write the introduction for a composition on that subject. 
Tell something concerning the history of the subject you select. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 105 

GIVE YOUR MENTAL POINT OF VIEW 

Give your own point of view, letting your readers 
know that you have certain emotional reactions on the 
subject, that you are not cold and apathetic toward it, 
but that you believe firmly, and feel strongly. 

GIVING A MENTAL POINT OF VIEW 

If there is one part of nature that I like more than any- 
other part, it is a hill. I like the hard climb that takes me to 
the top. I like the trees and the rocks and the wide view that 
I get at the very summit. I often used to wonder how and 
when the hills were made. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING A MENTAL POINT OF VIEW 

Select a subject in which you have peculiar personal interest. Write 
an introduction for a composition on that subject, paying most atten- 
tion to showing your own feelings toward your subject. 

INDICATE YOUR PLAN 

Make some indication of the plan of your work. 
Name the divisions of your thought, the lines of treat- 
ment that you propose to follow, the issues involved, 
or the points to be proved. 

INDICATING THE GENERAL PLAN 

School spirit means much for the members of teams and clubs ; 
much for every other person in the school; much for the alumni, 
and much for the future of the school. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: INDICATING THE GENERAL PLAN 

Select a subject that will interest most of the students with whom you 
are acquainted. Write the introduction for a composition on that 
subject, paying most attention to indicating the general plan of your 
composition. 



106 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: CRITICISING INTRODUCTIONS 

In what respects are the following introductions good, and in what 
respects are they faulty? 

WE SHOULD BE QUICK TO APPRECIATE MERIT 

In these days when we take such pride in celebrating the 
birthdays of great men who lived in the past, and in honor- 
ing with monuments and memorials those who did valuable 
work for the world, is it not appropriate to ask: " Would it 
not have been better if people had honored such men while 
they still lived?" Among the names of those who are on the 
roll of fame to-day, the names of those who serve as shining 
examples to every one, are the names of many who were 
harshly criticised or even derided and disgraced while they 
were living. 

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CITY? 

The subject of municipal reform is much mentioned at the 
present time. It is not my purpose to enumerate the various 
reforms needed in the present system of city government, but 
to give, as briefly as possible, the requirements for a good 
city. 

ACCIDENTS ARE SOMETIMES BENEFICIAL 

People grumble about accidents, and attribute them to bad 
luck, yet in many cases accidents are found to be beneficiaL 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: SELECTING SUBJECTS AND 
WRITING INTRODUCTIONS 

1 Write a list of five subjects suitable for story- telling. 

2 Write an introduction for one of the stories you suggest. 

3 Write a list of five subjects suitable for descriptive writing. 

4 Write an introduction for any one of the descriptions you suggest. 

5 Write a list of five subjects suitable for written explanation. 

6 Write an introduction for any one of the explanations you suggest. 

7 Write a list of five subjects suitable for a debate. 

8 Write an introduction for any one of the subjects you suggest. 



LESSON X 

AROUSING INTEREST 

BE INDIVIDUAL 

The teacher says: "Make your composition work 
interesting. Write so that every one in the class would 
like to read your work, — or would lean forward and 
listen attentively if you were to read it aloud. Create 
interest in the first paragraph, — make your very first 
words interesting." 

"How can I possibly write like that!" you wonder. 

You have seen vaudeville actors who perform simple 
acts, but perform them in such a way that they hold 
every one's attention. The actors have a way of act- 
ing, — a personality, — that makes you wish to see every- 
thing they do, and to hear everything they say. They 
are decidedly different from some others who fail to 
interest you. 

If you are going to interest your class when you write 
compositions; or your friends when you write letters: 
or your readers when you write for the school paper, 
you must make your writing different from the writ- 
ing of others. You must make it individual. 

WRITE ABOUT THE UNUSUAL 

One way to arouse interest is to write about the 
unusual, — for anything out of the ordinary attracts 
attention. Awaken interest by writing on any one of 
the following subjects: 

107 



108 ENGLISH 

1 An unusual event. 

2 An unusual person. 

3 A person in an unusual situation. 

4 An unusual place. 

You may also arouse interest by writing in an unusual 
style. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING ABOUT THE UNUSUAL 
Imagine that you are going to write a long article or story on one of 
the following subjects, or on any other subject that interests you. 
Write the first paragraph of your article or story. Awaken interest 
by following one of the suggestions ju t named. 



1 


An unexpected interrup- 


12 


The school mice hold a meet- 




tion 




ing 


2 


What was not looked for 


13 


Book characters come to life 


3 


A wonderful child 


14 


The genius in school 


4 


A queer thing for a girl to 


15 


The most mischievous boy 




do 




in history 


5 


Out of place 


16 


A quick trip 


6 


The freshman's mistake 


17 


How I revised the course of 


7 


Queer English 




study 


8 


The long assignment 


18 


The fairies visit our neighbor- 


9 


The dog and the pedagogue 




hood 


10 


What happened in the 


19 


What happened here 5000 




chemistry room 




years ago 


11 


Shakespeare sees our play 


20 


The school in the year 3000 
A.D. 



WRITE ABOUT THE FAMILIAR 
Sometimes every-day sights and ordinary actions 
appeal to us deeply for the very reason that they 
are so familiar. Writing about every-day people, — 
mothers, fathers, little children, ordinary boys and girls, 
workmen, — and every-day subjects, such as love, 
faithfulness, honor, sympathy, and good cheer, — arouses 
interest. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



109 



2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING ABOUT THE FAMILIAR 

Imagine that you are going to write a long article or story on one of 
the following subjects, or on any other subject that interests you. 
Write the first paragraph of your article or story. Awaken interest 
by writing about something familiar to your readers: 



1 


The lost child 


12 


The sparrow's adventure 


2 


The lonesome person 


13 


A restaurant romance 


3 


The beggar 


14 


Hens and people 


4 


The newspaper dealer 


15 


A small boy's day 


5 


The policeman 


16 


Down by the river 


6 


The postman 


17 


Hiding 


7 


A railroad scene 


18 


A second Tom Sawyer 


8 


In the lunch-room 


19 


Overworked 


9 


On the street 


20 


The reform of Mr. Cross- 


10 


With the crowd 




patch 


11 


Two old women 


21 


Our youngest 



SUGGEST A PROBLEM OR MYSTERY 

Because people are naturally curious and like to 
learn the causes of events, and the results of action, 
stories of mystery are always popular. You can arouse 
interest if you suggest a problem to be solved or a mys- 
tery to be unravelled. Present the problem or mystery 
in the first part of your work, and then proceed to give 
the solution. 



3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: SUGGESTING A PROBLEM OR MYSTERY 

Imagine that you are going to write a long article or story on one 
of the following subjects, or on any other subject that interests you. 
Write enough of the first part of the article or story to present the prob- 
lem or mystery. 



1 The old well 

2 The cause of the trouble 

3 The lost child 

4 The mysterious cave 



5 Why the clocks were wrong 

6 Who brought it ? 

7 What made the bell ring? 

8 Why he succeeded 



110 



ENGLISH 



9 The girl who never went to 15 

parties 16 

10 A mysterious message 17 

11 The secret door 18 

12 The great discovery 19 

13 Lost in the forest 20 

14 Who gave the warning? 



A strange gift 

For sale ! A mummy's hand 
Found ! A skull 
Buried silver 

Why the house was haunted 
William's amazing experi- 
ence 



DEVELOP A CLIMAX 

People enjoy the effort of climbing a mountain be- 
cause they know that they will see a view of unusual 
interest. People enjoy some stories because the stories 
take them inevitably toward a point of highest interest, 
or climax. The development of a climax does much to 
hold interest. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A CLIMAX 

Write an outline for a composition on one of the topics named below. 
Plan to develop a climax. 



1 


Herman's success 


11 


A night in a canoe 


2 


Finding why it happened 


12 


The bonfire 


3 


What saved the day 


13 


The doll's third cousin 


4 


The winner 


14 


Finding the trail 


5 


Carelessness rewarded 


15 


Caught ! 


6 


Turning the tables 


16 


Our own Julius Caesar 


7 


How the money was raised 


17 


The snow-storm mystery 


8 


Saved ! 


18 


A story of the links 


9 


A breathless adventure 


19 


Off at the wrong station 





In the dark 


20 


The lost girl 



EXPRESS STRONG PURPOSE 



If you have a strong purpose, and express that pur- 
pose strongly, you will interest people. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



111 



5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EXPRESSING A STRONG PURPOSE 

Imagine that you are going to write a long article or story on one of 
the following subjects. Write the first paragraph of the article or story. 
Express your purpose strongly. 



1 


Supporting the school 


10 


Keeping at it 




paper 


11 


Writing stories 


2 


"Rooting" for the team 


12 


Volunteering for a play 


3 


Buying tickets 


13 


Learning shorthand 


4 


Writing for publications 


14 


Reading Shakespeare 


5 


Joining a club 


15 


Making a record 


6 


Supporting the good name 


16 


Giving applause 




of the school 


17 


Learning school songs 


7 


Lending a hand 


18 


Reading good books 


8 


Getting advertisements 


19 


Organizing a club 


9 


Making use of the library 


20 


Cheering good plays 



USE CONVERSATION 

The pages of an ordinary novel look interesting 
because they contain so much conversation. Heavy, 
solid pages, full of explanation and description, or 
pages closely filled with unbroken narration, do not 
awaken interest. Use conversation to brighten your 
pages. Make the parts of the conversation like the 
parts of conversations in life, — short and to the point. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING CONVERSATION 

Imagine that you are going to write a long article or story on one of 
the following subjects. Introduce a conversation. 



1 

2 
3 


Fooling the foolers 
In the great meadow 
Down in the mine 


8 

9 

10 


A place of beauty 

On the bridge 

The new student and the 


4 


A street adventure 




seniors 


5 

6 
7 


The amazing stranger 
Just two small boys 
Why she had her way 


11 
12 
13 


Starlight 
Gathering berries 
The looking-glass 



112 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



14 The reward 

15 A find in the attic 

16 The foreigner 

17 Up in the tree 



18 Fourteen girls 

19 Memories of a jackknife 

20 The story of a wall 

21 The agreement 



WRITE BRIEFLY 



You look at books in the library, and put them back 
on the shelves unread when you see that they are 
"long" books. Length repels. If you wish to interest 
people, write briefly. Leave out everything that does 
not aid your general plan, or that does not emphasize 
your principal thought. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING BRIEFLY 

Write, in full, one of the following. Make your work entirely to 
the point. Omit every unnecessary word. 



9 
10 



A suggestion for a school 11 

play 12 

A plan for raising money 13 

A book review 14 

A summer's experience 15 

On the ice 16 

Margaret's wild animal 17 

The old drummer boy 18 

Out on the lake 19 

Over the hill 20 

Carrying the good news 21 



The invalid's request 

On the island 

My pets 

Life in a drug store 

Making the road 

Caring for the whole family 

The policeman 

A canal adventure 

One day in a foreign land 

The rich uncle 

The sailor's bargain 



8 ORAL EXERCISE: AROUSING INTEREST 

Select any volume of short stories, or any number of a good maga- 
zine, like The Atlantic, The Century, Harper's, or Scribner's, and 
tell by what methods the writers arouse interest. Point out one method 
that you think especially worthy of praise, and of imitation. 






LESSON XI 

DEVELOPING AND PARAGRAPHING 
DEVELOP POINTS ONE BY ONE 

Writing a composition is easy enough after you have 
once found an interesting subject, and after you have 
made careful preparation by observation, reading, and 
the taking of notes, and the making of an outline or 
brief. All that you have to do is to fill out the sugges- 
tions you have already made, — to develop your points 
one by one. 

WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE FOR EVERY PRINCIPAL 
THOUGHT 

Write a topic sentence, — the leading or thought- 
conveying sentence of a paragraph, — for every princi- 
pal suggestion. Write the topic sentence wherever it 
will be most emphatic, — early in the paragraph; in the 
middle of the paragraph; or at the end of the para- 
graph. 

METHODS OF DEVELOPING TOPIC SENTENCES INTO 
PARAGRAPHS 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by employing one of the following methods: 

1 You may give many details. 

2 You may give specific examples. 

3 You may make a comparison. 

4 You may make a contrast. 

113 



114 ENGLISH 

5 You may make negative statements. 

6 You may tell a cause, or an effect. 

7 You may use some form of repetition. 

8 You may combine any of the above methods. 

THE METHOD OF DETAILS 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by giving a great number of details that will enable the 
reader to understand the subject. Suppose that you 
are to write a paragraph on the topic sentence: "I saw 
a picturesque view." Name all the details that made 
the view picturesque. 

"I saw a picturesque view as I came into the little town. 
On the right, a tall brick spire stood like a sentinel over the 
remains of half a dozen irregularly shaped brick buildings that 
had once been parts of a great silk manufactory. On the left, 
were houses blackened by fire. In the background lay the 
town itself, with many high buildings like great cliffs. Not 
far from the ruins of the factory was a roaring waterfall, and 
beyond that, a lake about eight acres in extent." 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 
PARAGRAPH BY GIVING MANY DETAILS 

Write a paragraph in which you give many details in support of one 
of the following topic sentences: 

1 The old house had a ghostly appearance. 

2 The barn was full of interest. 

3 It was my favorite idling place. 

4 How well I remember my first schoolhouse. 

5 He was a cross-looking sort of man. 

6 The ice was just right. 

7 It was a beautiful place in tne woods. 

8 The street was an old street. 

9 The little children were like so many fairies. 
10 A college room is an interesting place. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 115 

THE METHOD OF SPECIFIC EXAMPLE 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by giving a specific example, or several specific exam- 
ples. 

Suppose you are to write on the topic sentence: 
"It does not always pay to smile/ ' You may develop 
the topic sentence by telling of an instance when it did 
not pay to smile. 

It does not always pay to smile. One of my friends has 
the gift of ventriloquism, which he has cultivated until he can 
throw his voice into any part of a room. He amused us many 
times outside of school. Finally, he tried ventriloquism in 
the school. For a long time the teachers could not tell who 
made the noises my friend made. One day a teacher became 
so angry, without being at all suspicious of the right one, 
that my friend forgot, — and smiled. Then he was found out. 
If he had not smiled, the teacher would not even have suspected 
him. 



2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 
PARAGRAPH BY GIVING A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE 

Write a paragraph in which you give a specific example in support 
of one of the following topic sentences: 

1 Wild flowers are often very strange. 

2 Birds return to their old nests. 

3 Mice learn the ways of people. 

4 Hard work will always accomplish something. 

5 A stitch in time saves nine. 

6 Never whip a willing horse, 

7 It's worth while to smile. 

8 Some stories tell about strange worlds. 

9 The newspapers tell of many queer events. 
10 A horse has great intelligence. 



116 ENGLISH 

THE METHOD OF COMPARISON 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by making comparisons, that is, by showing a resem- 
blance between two things. 

Every day the pupils go through the school like so many 
sheets of paper fed into and through a printing-press. From 
8:30 to 9 o'clock they go into the first part of the " press" — 
the doors. At 8:15 a gong rings, and they move on to the 
first " impression" — the first recitation. In forty-five minutes 
another gong sounds, and they move to a second " impres- 
sion," and so on until noon, when they are "smoothed and 
folded" in the lunch process. Other " impressions" follow with 
machine-like regularity, until at the end of the day they are 
turned out bearing the lasting "impressions" of important 
lessons. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 
PARAGRAPH BY MAKING COMPARISONS 

Write a paragraph in which you make a comparison in support of 
one of the following topic sentences: 

1 Houses are like individuals. 

2 The weather is changeable. 

3 The horses were friendly. 

4 The street was in confusion. 

5 The falls made a great noise. 

6 The flowers were altogether beautiful. 

7 The old tree was graceful. 

8 The valley faded into the distance. 

9 The bridge was like a spiderweb. 
10 The snow was like so much marble. 

THE METHOD OF CONTRAST 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by making a contrast, that is, by showing differences 
between two subjects. Suppose you are to write on 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 117 

the topic sentence " There is a difference between city 
and country. " You may develop the topic sentence 
as follows: 

There is great difference between the city where I now live 
and the village where I once lived. The city streets are always 
crowded and noisy. The buildings are all large, close together, 
and uncomfortable looking. The streets of the village were al- 
most deserted. Sometimes they were entirely so. There was 
no crowding of any kind. Even the buildings were far apart, 
as though they were comfortable and happy. The city makes 
me feel in a hurry. The village I lived in did not make me 
hurry at all, — and did not make me think of hurry. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 
PARAGRAPH BY MAKING A CONTRAST 

Write a paragraph in which you make a contrast in support of one 
of the following topic sentences: 

1 America is different from Europe. 

2 Some dogs are altogether different from other dogs. 

3 There are all kinds of books. 

4 The weather is never the same. 

5 What a difference there is in cloth! 

6 The sky has many contrasting effects. 

7 The two women were quite unlike. 

8 My first home was not like the one I live in now. 

9 I like two kinds of roads. 

10 He was not what he should have been. 

THE METHOD OF NEGATIVE STATEMENT 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by making negative statements. Instead of saying: 
"It is warm/' say: "It is not cold." Suppose your 
topic sentence is: "The room was a bare room." You 
may develop the topic sentence as follows: 



118 ENGLISH 

The room was a bare room. There were no pictures on the 
walls. There was no paint. There was not even paper to 
add color. The floor had no carpet. The furniture, what 
little there was of it, was not in good condition. In fact, there 
was nothing in the room at all beautiful or attractive. 



5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 
PARAGRAPH BY MAKING NEGATIVE STATEMENTS 

Write a paragraph in which you make negative statements that will 
emphasize one of the following topic sentences: 

1 He was not a good ball player. 

2 The day was dismal. 

3 Everything was at odds and ends. 

4 The dog was unhappy. 

5 Grandmother was no longer young. 

6 The sky was blue. 

7 He had not studied at all. 

8 It was an ideal place. 

9 The applause was vigorous. 
10 The room was crowded. 



THE METHOD OF TELLING OF CAUSE OR OF EFFECT 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by telling of a cause or of an effect. Suppose your 
topic sentence is: ^It was impossible to go on the excur- 
sion." You may develop the topic sentence as fol- 
lows: 

It was impossible to go on the excursion. In the morning 
the sky had been cloudy and threatening. Then the weather 
became disagreeable. A fine rain drifted down and wet every- 
thing. The sky became blacker and blacker, and the rain in- 
creased the longer we waited. Finally we gave up and stayed 
at home. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 119 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 

PARAGRAPH BY TELLING OF A CAUSE OR OF AN EFFECT 

Write a paragraph in which you tell of a cause or of an effect in sup- 
port of one of the following topic sentences: 

1 It pays to be energetic. 

2 Honesty is the best policy. 

3 Carelessness leads to trouble. 

4 Good penmanship is worth much. 

5 Good reading is a help in life. 

6 It pays to advertise. 

7 It's never too late to do well. 

8 Skill is the result of effort. 

9 Waste to-day means want to-morrow. 
10 Where there's a will there's a way. 

THE METHOD OF REPETITION 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by using repetition. The English language has many 
words that have somewhat the same meanings, — 
synonyms. By using synonyms you can repeat thought 
without repeating words monotonously. Suppose you 
are to write on the topic sentence: "Now is the time to 
make good resolutions." You may develop the topic 
sentence as follows: 

"Now is the time to make good resolutions. Now is the 
time to turn over a new leaf and to make a new start. Now is 
the time to think about the future, to plan what you will do, 
and what you would like to do. If you put off good resolutions 
until later, you may put them off forever. Now, at the begin- 
ning of the school year, now is the time." 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A 

PARAGRAPH BY USING REPETITION 

Write a paragraph in which you repeat the thought in order to empha- 
size one of the following sentences: 

1 We should be proud of our team. 

2 Come out to the game ! 



120 ENGLISH 

3 Begin to cultivate school spirit. 

4 Read good newspapers. 

5 Be a gentleman. 

6 A dream has been realized. 

7 The book was beautifully illustrated. 

8 The room was noisy. 

9 Birds were everywhere. 

10 The air was full of sweet odors. 

A TRANSITION PARAGRAPH TRANSFERS THOUGHT 

When you write on a topic that is so important that 
you wish to write many paragraphs, and to present 
several different sides of thought, you have to change, 
at intervals, from one line of thought to another. 
When you are on a street car and wish to change from 
one car line to another, you must have a transfer, or 
else you must pay a new fare. When you wish to 
change from one line of thought to another, you must 
have a transfer, — a transitional paragraph, — or else 
you must begin a new composition. 

A transitional paragraph does not exist for itself. 
It connects two different lines of thought. It is a con- 
necting link, just as a conjunction or a preposition is a 
connecting link. 

"Now let us turn from the outside of the house, where we 
have seen so much that is beautiful, and look at the inside." 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A TRANSITIONAL PARAGRAPH 
Imagine that you are going to write a long composition on one of the 
subjects named below. Think of any two different lines of thought 
that you might develop in your long composition. Write a short, 
transitional paragraph that would serve to connect the two lines of 
thought. 

1 Handy with a knife. 

2 A day with a fisherman. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 121 

3 In the old shack. 

4 The morning visitor. 

5 Father's pet hobbies. 

6 The story of a rug. 

7 Along the rail fence. 

8 The runaway. 

9 An early start. 

10 My aunt's cookies. 

A SUMMARIZING PARAGRAPH EMPHASIZES 

When you wish to emphasize thought that you have 
presented at great length, you repeat, in one paragraph, 
all the important statements that you have made. 
Such a paragraph is a summarizing paragraph. No- 
tice the following summarizing paragraph: 

From all this we see that people to-day are reading better 
books than ever before, and that they read not only for recrea- 
tion but also for the values they gain. We see also that the 
trend is toward the reading of scientific books, or of books that 
deal with great questions. Nothing else in the world to-day 
could take the place of our books. 

Do not write a summarizing paragraph unless your 
composition is so long that your reader will not notice, 
or will not remember, all the points unless you bring 
the points together in one paragraph. 

9 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A SUMMARIZING PARAGRAPH 

Imagine that you have written a long composition on one of the 
following topics. Imagine that you have developed a number of 
different lines of thought. Write a short, clear, emphatic, summarizing 
paragraph. 

1 Was the Indian, King Philip, a real hero? 

2 Rustic fences. 

3 The origin of checkers. 



122 ENGLISH 

4 An interview with a dummy. 

5 What becomes of pins? 

6 Odd rings. 

7 A result of flattery 

8 Exploring a cave. 

9 The sacredness of cats. 
10 How buttons are made. 

DEVELOP A TOPIC SENTENCE INTO A PARAGRAPH BY 
USING A COMBINATION OF METHODS 

You may develop a topic sentence into a paragraph 
by uniting two or more of the methods just named, 
just as you unite two statements and make a compound 
sentence; or two or three statements and make a com- 
plex sentence. The following paragraph combines the 
methods of detail, contrast, and comparison. 

It is a rare thing to have such a mild winter as we had this 
year. Outside of a few cold days, and one snow-storm, no one 
could complain of winter weather in the old sense. I shudder 
when I think of the winter a year ago. Then, biting frost and 
heavy snows continued for weeks without end. In those weeks 
life was miserable indeed for many a person. The two winters 
were as unlike as two people, — one, good-natured and easy; 
the other, hard and cruel. 

10 WRITTEN EXERCISE: COMBINING METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT 

Write a paragraph on one of the following subjects, combining any 
two or more methods of development. 

1 A real pie. 

2 How to keep pigeons. 

3 Grandpa's old hat. 

4 An ideal vacation moment. 

5 The girl on horseback. 

6 A quarrelsome calf. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 123 

7 The question. 

8 A strange shell. 

9 Lost in the corn. 

10 Keeping Hallowe'en. 

11 ORAL EXERCISE: EXPLAINING THE METHODS OF DEVELOPING 
TOPIC SENTENCES INTO PARAGRAPHS 

Give a short talk in which you explain the methods of developing 
topic sentences into paragraphs. 

12 ORAL EXERCISE: METHODS OF DEVELOPING PARAGRAPHS 
By what methods are the following paragraphs developed? 

"His dress was a tunic of forest green, furred at the throat 
and cuffs with what was called minever — a kind of fur inferior 
in quality to ermine, and formed, it is believed, of the skin 
of the gray squirrel. This doublet hung unbuttoned over a 
close dress of scarlet which sat tight to his body; he had breeches 
of the same, but they did not reach below the lower part of 
the thigh, leaving the knee exposed. His feet had sandals of 
the same fashion with the peasants, but of finer materials, 
and secured in front with golden clasps. He had bracelets 
of gold upon his arms, and a broad collar of the same precious 
metal around his neck." — Scott's Ivanhoe. 

" Cannon, muskets, fire and smoke; but still the deep ditch, 
the single drawbridge, the massive stone walls, and the eight 
great towers. Slight displacements of the raging sea, made by 
the falling wounded. Flashing weapons, blazing torches,, 
smoking wagon-loads of wet straw, hard work at neighboring: 
barricades in all directions, shrieks, volleys, execrations,, 
bravery without stint, boom, smash and rattle, and the furi- 
ous sounding of the living sea; but still the deep ditch, and the 
single drawbridge, and the massive stone walls, and the eight 
great towers, and still Defarge of the wine-shop at his gun, 
grown doubly hot by the service of four fierce hours." — Dick- 
ens's A Tale of Two Cities. 



LESSON XII 

MAKING THOUGHT CLEAR 
IT IS NOT EASY TO BE CLEAR 

Listen for a day or two in classroom recitations, 
and in conversation, and notice how many times people 
ask others to explain what has been said. Notice how 
often people misunderstand what has been said or 
written. 

It is not easy to present thought clearly, either in 
speech or in writing. 

LEARN SYNONYMS 

Use the right word, for every word has its own indi- 
vidual meaning. Even words that seem much alike 
have different shades of meaning. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: LEARNING SYNONYMS 

Find, in a good dictionary, definitions of the following words. Tell 
liow the words grouped together differ from one another in meaning. 

1 Stage, platform, scaffold, shelf, scene, step. 

2 Flash, gleam, glisten, glister, glitter. 

3 Admit, assent, attest, avow, acknowledge, concede, con- 

fess, grant, recognize. 

4 Bid, call, assemble, convoke. 

5 Absolve, aquit, excuse, forgive, vindicate. 

6 Darkness, dimness, gloom, obscurity. 

7 Attention, regard, respect. 

8 Allow, admit, accept. 

9 Ample,, liberal, bountiful, generous, munificent, beneficent. 

124 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 125 

10 Grand, magnificent, sublime. 

11 Blunder, error, mistake. 

12 Astonishment, amazement, surprise, wonder. 

13 Coy, reserved, diffident, bashful. 

14 Brisk, alert, lively, active, prompt, speedy, quick. 

15 Disregard, inattention, neglect. 

16 Durable, lasting, permanent. 

LEARN ANTONYMS 

Some words are the opposites of others. Contrast- 
ing words are called antonyms. 



1 


Light, darkness 


11 


High, low 


2 


Heat, cold 


12 


Soft, hard 


3 


Front, back 


13 


Save, waste 


4 


Top, bottom 


14 


Kind, cruel 


5 


Health, sickness 


15 


Storm, calm 


6 


Courage, cowardice 


16 


Night, day 


7 


Hope, despair 


17 


Beginning, end 


8 


Truth, falsehood 


18 


Collect, distribute 


9 


Faith, doubt 


19 


Quick, slow 





Laughter, weeping 


20 


Fierce, gentle 



2 ORAL EXERCISE: FINDING ANTONYMS 

Name several common words and their antonyms. When you have 
mastered many synonyms and antonyms, and can say exactly what you 
wish to say, you can write with a degree of clearness that will be effec- 
tive. 

USE PRONOUNS CAREFULLY 

The careless use of pronouns leads to marked lack 
of clearness. It would be unwise to say: "Do not use 
pronouns/ ' but it is wise to say: "Use pronouns with 
the utmost care." 

A person who has just learned how to ride on a bicy- 
cle cannot take his hands off the handle-bars. An 
instructor might say to him, with perfect wisdom: 



126 ENGLISH 

"Keep your hands on the handle-bars." It is some- 
what the same in learning how to use pronouns. When 
you are learning how to write, keep your attention on 
the antecedents of pronouns. 

1 Do not use a pronoun unless you clearly indicate its ante- 

cedent. 

2 For the most part, avoid beginning sentences with pro- 

nouns. 

3 When you wish to use "it" or "this," make sure that you 

name an antecedent for the pronoun. 

4 When you use pronouns, make sure that they agree with 

their antecedents. 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: USING PRONOUNS CORRECTLY 
Correct errors in the use of pronouns in ^he following sentences: 

1 This is a subject that is very important. 

2 There are some people who think that they know it all, 

and so when they write anything they try to tell every one 
what they should do. 

3 The judge and the man looked at each other. He thought 

him a queer fellow. 

4 The man whom he had threatened tried to get hold of his 

weapon. 

5 The man stood up quickly and he said that he would not 

listen to him any longer. 

USE "ONLY" WITH GREAT CARE 

The word "only" gives a great deal of trouble. 
Place "only" so that it will modify but one word. If 
you write: "I only sang," you do not make it clear 
whether you mean "I only" or "only sang." You 
should write: "I was the only one to sing," or, "I did 
nothing except sing." You cannot make thought 
clear unless you so place words that their relations will 
be evident. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 127 

4 ORAL EXERCISE: USING "ONLY" CORRECTLY 
Correct the use of the word "only" in the following sentences: 

1 That man only wishes food. 

2 I only stood up and cheered. 

3 If I only could go I should be satisfied. 

4 He only would have answered " No." 

5 Tom only reached the second base. 

PLACE MODIFIERS CLOSE TO THE WORDS THAT 
THEY MODIFY 

Place all words, all phrases, and all clauses close to 
the words that they modify. You would not write: 
" Wanted, — a room by a single man with three windows 
looking on the street/' You might, however, place 
modifiers so far from the words that they modify that 
you will fail to convey your thought clearly. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: PLACING MODIFIERS CORRECTLY 
Make the following sentences clear and correct in expression: 

1 Water is a necessity of life, which must be kept pure. 

2 Every teacher was handed a list of three hundred students' 

names who were eligible to compete. 

3 Those who were told to go to the judges who were present 

were only five in number. 

4 The school became aware that a great man was in its midst 

when Julian Frank was elected president of the General 
Organization. 

5 He is the one who said his brother is dead who asked me to 

help take care of him. 

USE PARTICIPLES CAREFULLY 

Participles give somewhat the same trouble that 
"only" gives. Place participles close to the words 
that they modify. Sometimes you see a sentence like 



128 ENGLISH 

this: " Speeding down the street the houses all looked 
alike." Such a sentence makes it appear that the 
houses were speeding down the street. The sentence 
should be: " Speeding down the street, I thought the 
houses all looked alike." You must not omit the 
word that the participle modifies. 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: USING PARTICIPLES CLEARLY 
Make the following sentences clear and correct in expression: 

1 Flying over the city all the landscape looked hazy and unreal. 

2 Having finished cleaning the room neatness and order once 

more prevailed. 

3 The great Post Office building attracts your attention going 

down the street. 

4 Not being a believer in ghosts the " ghost " could not frighten 

him. 

5 After having spoken his graduation oration the principal 

awarded the first prize to Thomas Sheehan. 

USE CORRECT WORD FORMS 

Do not write a singular form when you should write 
a plural form, nor a plural form when you should write 
a singular form. Such a sentence as the following is 
wrong: "Has any one lost their pencil ?" "One" is 
singular. The sentence should be: "Has any one lost 
his pencil ?" 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: INDICATING PROPER NUMBER 
Correct the errors in the following sentences: 

1 Every one of the boys are eligible. 

2 The captain, with all the members of the team, were on the 

platform. 

3 Each of the two girls were given bouquets. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 129 

4 In the foreground was an old ruin, many small bushes, 

and some sheep grazing. 

5 To all the fifty students who helped sell tickets are due the 

praise of the school. 

DO NOT USE THE WRONG GENDER 

8 ORAL EXERCISE: INDICATING PROPER GENDER 
Correct the errors in the following sentences: 

1 She has worked in the school restaurant so long that she is 

almost a professional waiter. 

2 Miss Bannerman was the host of the evening. 

3 Athena was a god who helped Odysseus. 

4 Rosalind is the hero of As You Like It. 

5 Don't come back until you have given every teacher its 

ticket. 

DO NOT MISUSE VERB FORMS 

9 ORAL EXERCISE: USING CORRECT VERB FORMS 
Correct the errors in the following sentences: 

1 He wished to have proudly stepped up for the prize. 

2 I should have liked to have seen you to-morrow. 

3 I read and have studied the lesson. 

4 The constant insistence upon practice last term was thought 

to have developed the skill that won the championship. 

5 The beautiful pavements of the palace were lain by slaves. 

COMPLETE EVERY SENTENCE THAT YOU BEGIN 

Do not omit a verb, nor omit a subject. 

10 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING COMPLETE SENTENCES 
Correct the errors in the following sentences: 

1 William Leland, a once rich gentleman of New Orleans, 

secluded on a little island. 

2 A little man who was at one time a soldier in the Philippine 

Islands and who had now become keeper of a hat store. 

3 He said, while he stood before the group threateningly 

and looked at them in anger. 



130 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

4 Owing to the mysterious disappearance of the package, 

which could not be found, no matter how long they might 
look for it. 

5 Gathering there in the evening shadows as the time for 

departure drew near, and tyith much weeping, and with 
many regrets that they must so soon leave the home in 
which they had lived all their lives. 

11 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING THOUGHT CLEAR 

Make the following sentences clear and correct in expression. Tell 
what kinds of errors you correct. 

1 He heard a noise on the steps, and, sure enough, it was 

his friend. 

2 Her home was in the country with her mother and her 

cousin as her only companions. 

3 A capable lawyer having knowledge of international law 

and having some diplomatic experience. 

4 Our country is interested in the Panama Canal because it 

might harm the Canal if a war broke out. 

5 He spoke to the prince who advanced with uplifted sword, 

but when he was about two feet from him he dropped 
dead. 

6 The United States should take a hand in the negotiations. 

7 No library should be without them. 

8 He only told this to the captain of the ship. 

9 Telling him of my adventures, and how my two brothers 

and I, after many hardships, managed to escape. 

10 There is probably no truth in this sentence. 

11 Leaning over the taffrail the ship suddenly gave a great 

lurch and threw him into the water. 

12 The waves were so high that they were unable to save 

themselves. 

13 Looking at the hills one day the tree suddenly caught his 

attention. 

14 An old Norwegian told the author that he had become old 

in one day. 

15 Entering the hall a great commotion was noticed. 



LESSON XIII 

MAKING COMPARISONS 
COMPARISON IS A CONSTANT NECESSITY 

If you notice, in the course of a day, how many 
times you make use of comparison, — that is, how 
many times you say that one thing is like another, — 
you will be surprised. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: OBSERVING COMPARISONS 

Write down, during a single day, the different comparisons that you 
hear. Include in your list many different subjects. 

ADJECTIVE AND ADVERBIAL COMPARISON 

One of the most common forms of comparison is 
made by means of adjectives and adverbs. You say: 

1 He is taller than she is. 

2 She studied more faithfully than he did. 

3 He went the farthest of all. 

4 The man was the most polite. 

5 The third act was the best of all. 

Sometimes, you see, you add — "er" and — "est" to 
show what we call the comparative and the superla- 
tive. Sometimes you add the words "more" and 
"most," and sometimes you change the form of a 
word entfrely, as in "good, better, best." 

The words that change their forms are the ones 
that give you the most trouble. 

131 



132 



ENGLISH 




worse 


worst 


j farther 


f farthest 


\ further 


\ furthest 


better 


best 


better 


best 


f later 


f latest 


\ latter 


\ last 


less 


least 


more 


most 


nearer 


f nearest 
\ next 


older 


oldest 



far 

good 
well 

late 

little 

many 

much 

near 

old 



Be careful in using all these forms. When you use 
the comparative form, refer to two subjects only. 
When you use the superlative form refer to more than 
two. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: USING PROPER ADJECTIVE AND ADVERBIAL 

FORMS 

Give the correct forms for the words that should be inserted in the 
parentheses in the following sentences: 

1 They are both bad but he is the (worse — worst). 

2 Fourteen boys were in the run. Of all in the team the 

captain went (farther — farthest). 

3 Both are good. This is the (better — best). 

4 Of the two this is (less — least) good. 

5 He is the (older — oldest) of four brothers. 

USE THE WORD "OTHER" CAREFULLY 

Be careful when you use the word "other." It is 
correct to say: "Shakespeare is the greatest of all 
English poets/' but it is not correct to say: "Shake- 
speare is greater than all English poets." Shakespeare 




FOR IMMEDIATE USE 133 

himself was an English poet, and is included in "all 
English poets." He could not be greater than himself. 
The sentence should read, "Shakespeare is greater 
than all other English poets." 

Sometimes the words "all the rest of," or some simi- 
lar words, take the place of "other." It is right to 
say: "This sample is better than all the rest of the sam- 
ples submitted." It is also right to say : "This sample is 
the best of all the samples submitted." When you 
make a comparison, use some expression that will 
separate the subject from the group with which you 
compare the subject. 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: USING CORRECT EXPRESSIONS OF COMPARISON 
Are the following sentences correct or incorrect? 

1 He went the farthest of all the runners. 

2 The first runner went farther than all the runners in the 

race. 

3 He is the best of all his family. 

4 My State is better than any State in the country. 

5 She always comes later than any one else in the class. 

6 There is more money in this country than in all the world. 

7 The moon is nearer to us than any of the heavenly bodies 

are. 

8 I like Poe's stories better than those by any American 

writer. 

9 He went higher than any man ever went. 

10 He was better in school work than any of his family were. 

USE ORIGINAL SIMILES 

Make comparisons that will be notable. A strik- 
ing, original comparison will produce immediate effect. 
One of the common forms of comparison is the 



134 ENGLISH 

simile, a comparison usually made by the use of the 
word "like" or the word "as." 

Red as a rose was she. 

The trees stood like druids of eld. 

He ran like a frightened rabbit. 

A teacher is like a guide. 

He acted like a martyr. 

They rushed out like cattle. 

He dropped like a rock. 

The tree bent like a man in pain. 

She sang like a bird. 

They fought like tigers. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FINDING SIMILES 

1 Write all the comparisons introduced by the words "like" or 
"as" that you hear during one full day. 

2 Find in any book five comparisons introduced by the words " like " 
or "as." 

USE ORIGINAL METAPHORS 

When a comparison is not introduced by "like" 
or "as" but is made directly, it is called a metaphor. 
A metaphor is much like a simile except that it has no 
word of comparison. 

She was a rose of beauty. 

He was the soul of the occasion. 

Books are mines of information. 

He was the backbone of the team. 

He was our guiding star. 

Their presence will be an omen of victory. 

The first term is the lowest rung in the school ladder. 

He plunged through the line at will, — a war tank that no 
one could stop. 

Monmouth High is the only rock in our way. 

Our school is only a stage on which we appear for a short 
time. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 135 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FINDING METAPHORS 

1 Write all the metaphors that you hear during one full day. 

2 Find in any book five metaphors. 

USE ORIGINAL PERSONIFICATIONS 
When a comparison shows likeness between an inani- 
mate object and human life it is called personification. 

The brook danced for joy. 

The meadow slept under a white coverlet of snow. 

The sun smiled upon the earth. 

The brook is said to do what a person does, that is, 
to dance ; the meadow is said to do what a person does, 
that is, to sleep under a coverlet; the sun is said to do 
what a person does, that is, to smile. 

Personification is a powerful comparison, for every 
one understands human life and sympathizes with it. 

The mists embraced the mountains. 

The ruins speak for themselves. 

The leaves clung to the trees. 

The sky became angry. 

The table groaned with good things. 

Even my pen objected to the task. 

The bullet sang its song of death. 

The moon looked down benignly. 

The violin laughed in the hands of the master. 

The very chalk in his hands waxed eloquent. 

When you write personification you are likely to 
make a second comparison in the same sentence. 
When you write: "The meadow slept under a white 
coverlet of snow," you make two comparisons, one, 
between the meadow and a person, and the other be- 
tween the snow that covers the ground and a coverlet 



136 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

that covers a person. The first comparison is per- 
sonification; the second is metaphor. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING PERSONIFICATION AND METAPHOR 

1 Find in books five examples in which personification is united 
with metaphor. 

2 Write five original examples of personification united with meta- 
phor. 

DON'T CONFUSE COMPARISONS 

Keep to one comparison. If you begin by compar- 
ing a brook and a person, continue to think of the brook 
as a person, and not as something else. 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: POINT OUT ERRORS IN THE FOLLOWING 
COMPARISONS 

1 A good student is the soul of the school and sets it on fire 

with a volume of good work. 

2 His flood of eloquence tamed us all and led us into cheering. 

3 The high jumpers, — so many airplanes, — ran to their places, 

and stood with eager eyes. 

4 The coaches are the parents of our teams, and have directed 

all energies to building them into final shape. 

5 In the first half the ball was a veritable shooting star. Then 

it decided to rest, and leaped into the basket. 

6 The wind whispered and danced in the pine boughs like 

the playing of an unseen organ. 

7 The moon's great eye looked down on the earth and heard 

the vow. 

8 Good books are beacon-lights that lead up the ladder of 

success. 

9 Shakespeare says that ambition, the root of evil, deceives 

us with false promises. 

10 Great men are like mighty rocks that we can follow and 

imitate. 

11 The race for success is one in which we must fight hard if 

we are to win. 

12 The sweet spring breeze sang a fragrant lullaby. 



LESSON XIV 

MAKING CONTRASTS 
CONTRAST GIVES EMPHASIS 

When you have weeded part of a garden, or when 
you have completed part of any piece of work, you 
look first at what you have done, and then at the 
other part, — the unweeded part or the unfinished part, 
— and notice the contrast between the two. The good 
looks all the better because it is placed next to the bad, 
and the bad looks all the worse because it is placed 
next to the good. 

Put two thoughts of opposite values side by side, 
and you will produce the same effect. You will throw 
emphasis on the thought that has the greater value. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A CONTRAST 

Write a contrast on one of the following topics. You may write 
one paragraph, or you may write two or more paragraphs. In either 
case, develop a strong contrast between the thoughts that you present. 

1 Life on a farm and life in a village. 

2 The professional chauffeur and the average driver. 

3 The stay-at-home and the gadabout. 

4 The good cook and the amateur cook. 

5 The beginner and the professional. 

6 The old and the young. 

7 Something genuine and something false. 

8 A person who leads an ordinary life and one who leads an 

unusual life. 

9 Tact and lack of tact. 

10 Persuasion and authority. 
137 



138 ENGLISH 

CONTRAST BY NEGATION 

One good way to give emphasis by contrast is to 
speak negatively of what you do not wish to empha- 
size. Suppose that you do not wish to emphasize 
sound, but do wish to emphasize silence. Speak nega- 
tively about sound. 

Not a sound was heard throughout the house. Not a curtain 
rustled; not a door squeaked on its hinges; not a board any- 
where in the house creaked. There was not a footstep in any 
room. There was no sound of life, no murmur of conversation, 
no happy laughter, no prattle of children. There was not even 
weeping. Not a mouse was heard running lightly across 
the paper on the cupboard shelves. Not a fly buzzed on the 
window-pane. There was nothing but one great, lonely silence. 

In such a paragraph, by speaking negatively of the 
various sounds that one might expect to hear, you em- 
phasize the great silence that existed in the house. 
You put sound and silence side by side in a way that 
emphasizes silence. This method of giving emphasis 
by making negative statements, is called the method 
of obverse development, or contrast by negation. 

WRITE CONTRASTING PARAGRAPHS 

You can give emphasis by writing two contrasting 
paragraphs. 

Usually the house was full of life. The curtains shook noisily 
in the open windows; the doors squeaked on their hinges; 
boards in the floor creaked beneath the footsteps of those who 
walked across the rooms. Conversation was heard on all 
sides. Children laughed, or talked, or cried. Even at night the 
mice rustled the paper on the shelves, and insects flew against 
the window-panes. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 139 

Now there was no life. The curtains hung unmoved and 
noiseless; the doors hung quietly on their hinges; no footsteps 
creaked the loose floor-boards. No happy conversation echoed 
in any room. No laughter, nor talk, nor crying was heard. 
Even the mice and the flies had fled or died, and the lonely 
house remained silent and lifeless. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A CONTRAST 

Write a paragraph or two paragraphs on one of the following subjects. 
Emphasize your thought by making a strong contrast. You may do 
this by making obverse statements, or by writing two contrasting 
paragraphs. 

1 My choice of breakfast foods. 

2 The best kind of room. 

3 The most delicious cake. 

4 The pie that is a pie. 

5 Comfort and discomfort. 

6 The patriot and the slacker. 

7 What makes popularity. 

8 The best kind of knife. 

9 Where one should walk. 

10 My favorite garden flowers. 

ANTITHETICAL SENTENCES 

You need not write a paragraph in order to develop 
contrast. You may write a contrast effectively in a 
single sentence, either by contrasting one word with 
another word, or by contrasting one part of a sentence 
with any other part. You often use such expressions 
as the following: 

It is not warm; it is cold. 

Instead of arriving on time, he was late. 

He ran with all his strength, but Harley ran still faster. 

When you make a sharp contrast in a single sen- 
tence, you write what is called an antithetical sentence. 



140 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

He was silent but his deeds spoke for him. 

The road was long and hard to travel, but the view was 
magnificent and inspiring. 

The day was intensely cold but the hearts of all were warm 
with happiness. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING ANTITHETICAL SENTENCES 

1 Find in books or periodicals five examples of antithetical sen- 
tences. 

2 Write five original examples of antithetical sentences. 

MAKE VARIETY LEAD TO CONTRAST 

How beautiful and well-made a new house looks 
when it stands beside others that are not so new and 
that are not so well-built. The contrast adds to the 
beauty of the one, and detracts from the beauty of the 
other. Make some of your sentences stand out like 
notable structures, worthy of admiration. 

Lack of contrast makes all work uninteresting. If 
all your sentences are short, or if all your sentences are 
long, your work will be monotonous. Make variety 
of sentence structure lead to contrast. 

Notice the variation in sentence length in the follow- 
ing short passage: 

"He was, in fact, an odd mixture of small shredwness and 
simple credulity. His appetite for the marvelous, and his 
powers of digesting it, were equally extraordinary; and both 
had been increased by his residence in this spellbound region. 
No tale was too gross or monstrous for his capacious swallow. 
It was often his delight, after his school was dismissed in the 
afternoon, to stretch himself on the rich bed of clover bordering 
the little brook that whimpered by his school house, and there 
con over old Mather's direful tales, until the gathering dusk of 
the evening made the printed page a mere mist before his 
eyes." — Washington Irving, in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 



LESSON XV 
GIVING AN ILLUSTRATION 

" There are some of the most comical stories in 
Innocents Abroad — stories that would make any one 
laugh; here, listen to this. . . ." The speaker takes up 
the famous book by Mark Twain, and turns the pages 
until he finds a story that illustrates what he has just 
said, — that the book contains " comical stories/ ' — and 
reads the selection aloud. By doing that he proves and 
emphasizes his first statement. If he had failed to 
read or to tell one of the " comical stories" in Innocents 
Abroad, he would have given little point to his first 
statement. The statement would have been true but 
it would have lacked emphasis. 

An illustration need not be a quotation. It may be a 
comparison that tends to prove the truth of what you 
have said. It may be an example that shows the truth, 
in one instance, of what is true in many instances. It 
may be any statement that illustrates what you say. 

PRESENT YOUR ILLUSTRATION AS AN ILLUSTRATION ONLY 

Make it evident that giving your illustration is not 
your main object. Present your principal thought so 
emphatically that it will be recognized as the principal 
thought. Then give the illustration in such a way that 
it will support your thought rather than add to it. 
Usually you will find it best to present the principal 

141 



142 ENGLISH 

thought first, but sometimes you may give it last with 
convincing effect. 

The following story, standing by itself, is interesting, 
but it is not an illustration. 

A thunder-storm had done great damage to an electric light 
and power plant in a small village. At the time, the man in 
charge was a man who knew nothing of electricity. He had 
taken the place of the regular power-plant man, whose wife was 
seriously ill. The substitute had been terrified by the storm, 
and now that damage had been done, was helpless. A young 
man who came by on a bicycle, stopped at the power plant to 
get a drink of water. As soon as he learned the state of affairs, 
he began to look about the place with an inquiring eye, — and 
within a short time had restored the plant to its normal condi- 
tion. 

Add to this story, as a first sentence, the words: 
A scientific high school can give most valuable training. 

Then add as a last sentence the words: 

The young man was a graduate of a scientific high school. 

It is at once evident that the story no longer exists 
for itself, but that it illustrates the value of the training 
given by a scientific high school. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING A PRINCIPAL THOUGHT 

Formulate a principal thought on one of the subjects below, or on 
any other general subject. Give an illustration that will emphasize 
your principal thought. 

1 Gardening 5 Dancing 

2 House painting 6 Walking 

3 Croquet 7 Writing shorthand 

4 Tennis 8 Preparing for a play 





FOR 


IMMEDIATE USE 


9 


Mountain climbing 


15 Umbrella handles 


10 


Manual training 


16 The best bait 


11 


Shopping 


17 Going to bed early 


12 


Weaving a hat 


18 Using slang 


13 


A comfortable house 


19 Superstition 



143 



14 Seeing the funny side of life 20 Entertaining visitors 
MAKE YOUR ILLUSTRATION TYPICAL 

An illustration should always be a typical illustration, 
an example of what is to be expected of the entire class 
to which the illustration belongs. 

In the following paragraph the illustration is good 
because it illustrates a faithfulness that is typical. 

Dogs are faithful to an astonishing degree. There is a story 
that a soldier, who had somehow managed to take care of a dog 
during all the troubles and dangers of trench warfare, was killed 
by a fragment of shell just at the moment when his comrades 
withdrew from the trench. The dog, however, stayed with 
his dead master. At the end of a week the faithful animal was 
found lying beside the corpse, almost starved — but faithful to 
the last. 



2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING A TYPICAL ILLUSTRATION 

Formulate a principal thought on one of the following subjects. 
Then present a typical illustration. 



1 Chickens 

2 Horses 

3 Cats 

4 Bees 

5 Cows 

6 Mules 

7 Mice 

8 Robins 

9 Wolves 
10 Buffalo 



11 Geese 

12 Pigeons 

13 Guinea-pigs 

14 Rabbits 

15 Flies 

16 Calves 

17 Mosquitoes 

18 Colts 

19 Wasps 

20 Ants 



144 ENGLISH 

MAKE YOUR ILLUSTRATION TO THE POINT 

An illustration should not only emphasize the princi- 
pal thought, but should also add both interest and em- 
phasis. 

In the following paragraph the writer presents a 
strong principal thought. He emphasizes that thought 
by giving a pertinent and specific illustration. 

Any one who desires an education can obtain it. The one 
thing necessary is the desire. Abraham Lincoln felt within 
himself the desire to learn. He had no books, — but he bor- 
rowed books. He could not borrow many books, — but he read 
thoroughly those that he did borrow. He had no time in 
which to study by day, — so he studied by night. He had no 
light by which to read except the light that flickered from the 
open fireplace. He had no college except the college of hard 
experience, — and yet, under all these conditions, Abraham 
Lincoln obtained an education that placed him among the 
great in the land. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING A PERTINENT ILLUSTRATION 
Write a paragraph on one of the following subjects. Illustrate your 
principal thought by making a pointed, emphatic illustration. 



1 


Paul Revere 


11 


Julia Ward Howe 


2 


Benjamin Franklin 


12 


Louisa May Alcott 


3 


Benedict Arnold 


13 


John Masefield 


4 


Elias Howe 


14 


Alfred Noyes 


5 


Robert Fulton 


15 


Joseph Pulitzer 


6 


Cyrus Field 


16 


James Gordon Bennett 


7 


Alexander Graham Bell 


17 


Charles Dana Gibson 


8 


Henry Ford 


18 


Oliver Wendell Holmes 


9 


The Wright Brothers 


19 


General Frederick Funston 


10 


John A. Roebling 


20 


John Burroughs 



GIVE ILLUSTRATIONS THAT WILL BE UNDERSTOOD EASILY 

The object of giving an illustration is to present your 
thought with increased clearness and with increased 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 145 

emphasis. There must be nothing obscure in your 
illustration. You will find the best illustrations in the 
life immediately around you, in newspapers, and in 
books with which people are most familiar. 

If you wish to explain the structure of the eye, you 
can use a familiar illustration by showing that the 
structure of the eye and the structure of a camera are 
much alike. In each case a lens admits light. In each 
case the admitted light falls upon a sensitive section. 
In each case any change in the shape or in the position 
of the lens makes a change in the image produced. 
The illustration has force because of its familiarity. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING FAMILIAR ILLUSTRATIONS 

Write a paragraph on one of the subjects named below. Illustrate 
your principal thought by giving an illustration familiar to your readers: 



1 


A telephone 


11 


A stereopticon 


2 


A wireless instrument 


12 


A moving-picture machine 


3 


Electric wiring 


13 


The valves of an automobile 


4 


An automobile tire 


14 


A phonograph 


5 


An air brake 


15 


A reaper and binder 


6 


A thermometer 


16 


A sewing-machine 


7 


A thermostat 


17 


A diving suit 


8 


An aeroplane 


18 


Ball bearings 


9 


A balloon 


19 


The microscope 


10 


A parachute 


20 


The wireless telephone 



MAKE YOUR ILLUSTRATION SHORT 

Long illustrations are likely to turn the reader's 
attention away from the thought, unless the writer 
takes some unusual means to remind the reader that he 
is giving an illustration. 

Since an illustration exists to explain or to emphasize 
thought, it must never be so long that it will appear to 



146 ENGLISH 

exist for itself. It must remain subordinate to thought. 
In general, an illustration should be short. 

You can give illustrations in a word or two. You 
can say: "He went like the wind." The words, "like 
the wind," are an illustration. A comparison intro- 
duced by the word "like," or by the word "as," is 
called a simile. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING SIMILES 

Make a short statement on one of the following subjects, including 
in your statement a short comparison or illustration introduced by 
"like" or by "as." 



1 Running 


11 Eating 


2 Swimming 


12 Drinking 


3 Dancing 


13 Quarrelling 


4 Singing 


14 Saving 


5 Fighting 


15 Spending 


6 Playing 


16 Wasting 


7 Working 


17 Rowing 


8 Sleeping 


18 Skating 


9 Dreaming 


19 Riding 


Travelling 


20 Driving 



THE EXTENDED SIMILE 

An extended simile or comparison is a most effective 
illustration. In the following paragraph the compari- 
son is carried to considerable length. 

Some people are like a child that I saw recently. It lost a 
ball — and cried. It fell to the ground — and cried. A play- 
mate took something from it — and it cried. The mother took 
the child into the house — and the child cried again. It met 
every little misfortune with howls and a flood of tears. So 
some people meet the troubles of life — not with calm and a 
renewed determination — but with melancholy and grief. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 147 

In Matthew Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum there are 
many extended similes. One is as follows: 

" As when some hunter in the spring hath found 
A breeding eagle sitting on her nest, 
Upon the craggy isle of a hill-lake, 
And pierced her with an arrow as she rose, 
And follow'd her to find her where she fell 
Far off; — anon her mate comes winging back 
From hunting, and a great way off descries 
His huddling young left sole; at that, he checks 
His pinion, and with short uneasy sweeps 
Circles above his eyry, with loud screams 
Chiding his mate back to her nest; but she 
Lies dying, with the arrow in her side, 
In some far stony gorge out of his ken, 
A heap of fluttering feathers — never more 
Shall the lake glass her, flying over it; 
Never the black and dripping precipices 
Echo her stormy scream as she sails by — 
As that poor bird flies home, nor knows his loss, 
So Rustum knew not his own loss, but stood 
Over his dying son, and knew him not." 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING EXTENDED SIMILES 
Write an original topic sentence on one of the subjects named below, 
or on any other subject that interests you. Illustrate your thought by 
making an extended simile. 

1 The arrival of General Pershing in France 

2 The return of an American soldier. 

3 A Memorial Day celebration. 

4 The work of the Red Cross. 

5 The service of horses in the World War. 

6 A fight at sea. 

7 The defense of Verdun. 

8 The burial of an unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey. 

9 An unexploded shell. 

10 A battle-field after the war. 



148 ENGLISH 

MAKE YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS SPECIFIC 
A specific illustration, referring definitely to one ob- 
ject, event, or person, is likely to be an emphatic* il- 
lustration. 

Notice the use of specific illustrations in the following 
paragraph. 

The American leader in the time of war is usually calm and 
self-possessed, scornful of danger and ready to do his full duty. 
The American officer, at Bunker Hill, who told his men to wait 
until they could see the whites of the eyes of their enemies; 
Admiral Farragut, in the Civil War, who ordered his fleet to 
proceed in spite of torpedoes; Admiral Dewey, at the battle 
of Manila, calmly saying, "Gridley, you may fire when ready," 
and Major Whittlesey, commanding "The Lost Battalion" 
in the World War, are all examples of the type. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING A SPECIFIC ILLUSTRATION 
Write a paragraph on one of the following subjects, or on any other 
subject that interests you, emphasizing your principal thought by 
making use of some very specific illustration. 



1 


Bucking the line in football 


12 


Getting the best of a bad 


2 


Throwing the hammer 




bargain 


3 


Running a mile run 


13 


Playing a good joke 


4 


Playing tennis 


14 


Making people comfortable 


5 


Hurdling 


15 


Getting a good dinner 


6 


Pitching in a baseball game 


16 


Winning a prize 


7 


Playing hockey 


17 


Learning telegraphy 


8 


Cross-country running 


18 


Using a fireless cooker 


9 


Playing handball 


19 


Learning to run an automo- 


.0 


A hundred-yard dash 




bile 



11 Becoming a cook 20 The importance of swimming 

USE QUOTATIONS FOR PURPOSES OF ILLUSTRATION 

Quotations make admirable illustrations, because 
they bring to your assistance the words of others be- 
sides yourself. 




FOR IMMEDIATE USE 149 

Present a thought of your own, explain it, develop it, 
and make it as clear as you can. Then give a quotation 
from some one who has written on the same subject. 
The quotation adds to your own opinion the opinion of 
some one else. If the name of that person carries weight 
you gain great emphasis. 

In the following paragraph, the writer adds emphasis 
by quoting from Carlyle. 

Education gives a man power that he would not have other- 
wise. Education teaches one not only how to use his hands in 
the making of things, but also his brain in the management 
and ruling of things. Education has led to all the wonders of 
chemistry and of electricity, to all the conveniences and the 
luxuries of modern life. Education gives man control over the 
great powers of nature. Carlyle says: "An educated man 
stands, as it were, in the midst of a boundless arsenal and maga- 
zine, filled with all the weapons and engines which man's skill 
has been able to devise from the earliest times; and he works, 
accordingly, with a strength borrowed from all past ages." 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING QUOTATIONS AS ILLUSTRATIONS 

Write a topic sentence on one of the subjects named below. De- 
velop and explain your thought. Then illustrate it by giving a quota- 
tion from some one whose words carry weight. 



1 


The duties of citizenship 


8 


Means of avoiding fires 


2 


The care of the feeble 


9 


The work of the public 


3 


The protection of children 




schools 


4 


The development of safety 


10 


The value of better roads 




devices 


11 


Treatment of animals 


5 


A knowledge of history 


12 


The prevention of disease 


6 


The protection of public 


13 


The influence of moving-pic- 




health 




tures 


7 


The influence of news- 


14 


The keeping of Sunday 




papers 


15 


The making of good roads 



150 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

16 Public ownership of rail- 19 Decreasing the chances of 

roads war 

17 Improving transportation 20 The cultivation of good 

18 The influence of music habits 

9 ORAL EXERCISE: GIVING AN ILLUSTRATION 

Tell how the following paragraphs illustrate the principles empha- 
sized in this lesson: 

"I am the more at ease in Sir Roger's family, because it 
consists of sober and staid persons; for, as the Knight is the 
best master in the world, he seldom changes his servants; and 
as he is beloved by all about him, his servants never care for 
leaving him; by this means his domestics are all in years, and 
grown old with their master. You would take his valet de 
chambre for his brother, his butler is gray-headed, his groom 
is one of the gravest men that I have ever seen, and his coach- 
man has the looks of a privy counsellor. You see the goodness 
of the master even in the old house dog, and in a gray pad 
that is kept in the stable with great care and tenderness, out 
of regard to his past services, though he has been useless for 
several years." — Addison's The Sir Roger de Coverley Papers. 

"He was loud in his praises of the affability of Scott. 'He'll 
come here sometimes,' said he, 'with great folks in his com- 
pany, an' the first I know of it is his voice, calling out " Johnny ! 
— Johnny Bower ! " — and when I go out, I am sure to be greeted 
with a joke or a pleasant word. He'll stand and crack and 
lauff wi' me, just like an' auld wife — and to think that of a 
man that has such an awfu' knowledge o' history.' " — Irving's 
The Sketch-Book. 

" Miss Jenkyns wore a cravat, and a little bonnet like a 
jockey-cap, and altogether had the appearance of a strong* 
minded woman; although she would have despised the modern 
idea of women being equal to men. Equal, indeed ! she knew 
they were superior ! " — Mrs. Gaskell's Cranford. 



LESSON XVI 

MAKING QUOTATIONS 

USE QUOTATIONS TO SUPPORT YOUR OWtf WORDS 

"Ask him, — he'll tell you the same thing I do." 
" Of course it's true ! I heard him say so himself ! He said, 
'That is the exact place where I put it.'" 

In this way, in daily life, you strengthen your own 
words by repeating what others said. If you make one 
strong quotation in support of what you say, you do 
much to establish the truth of your statements. If you 
make several quotations, you do still more to establish 
the truth of what you say. 

A QUOTATION SHOULD BE TO THE POINT 

Whatever you quote must be closely related to what 
you say, and must be entirely to the point. If you 
say: u Uncle Tom's Cabin has some exceedingly hu- 
morous passages/' you can illustrate the truth of that 
statement by making a humorous quotation from 
Uncle Tom's Cabin. A quotation of any other kind, — a 
serious quotation, for example, — would not be related 
to what you said, and would not be to the point. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING AN EFFECTIVE QUOTATION 

Write a short paragraph on one of the topics named below. When 
you have developed your own thought, support it by making a well- 
chosen quotation. 

1 Lincoln believed in a united country. 

2 Washington believed that we should avoid foreign alli- 

ances. 

151 



152 ENGLISH 

3 General Grant was a man who spoke with great brevity. 

4 Tennyson wrote a great deal concerning the sea. 

5 Longfellow was deeply interested in the past. 

6 Edgar Allan Poe was a master of description. 

7 Theodore Roosevelt believed in strong manhood. 

8 As President, Woodrow Wilson upheld high ideals of pa- 

triotism. 

9 Some of iEsop's fables apply to the present day. 
10 Some American leaders uttered inspiring words. 

A QUOTATION SHOULD BE INTERESTING 

Every quotation that you make should have sufficient 
interest in itself to give the reader pleasure in reading it. 

A QUOTATION SHOULD BE COMPLETE 

Every quotation should be complete, and should 
require practically no explanation other than that 
given in the text that leads to the quotation. 

A QUOTATION SHOULD BE SHORT 

Since a quotation is made as a subordinate point in 
support of an important thought, a quotation should 
be short. A long quotation will take away interest 
from the principal thought. 

"To the victor belong the spoils," said Andrew Jackson after 
his election to the Presidency. Many believe that famous 
remark tells the fundamental principle that should come into 
play after every contest for physical or mental supremacy. 

Whatever the truth may be, our track team comes back like 
old-time victors, bearing the spoils. From every meet in which 
the team has competed, it has brought home substantial evi- 
dence of its superiority. Cups and trophies are the spoils in 
these track contests, — and the track team has a case full of 
spoils. As Jackson asserted the right to appoint his supporters 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 153 

to offices of importance, so we assert the right, because of 
successive victories, to call our present track team "The Best 
Track Team the School has ever Had." 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING A SHORT, REPRESENTATIVE 
QUOTATION 

Write a short paragraph on one of the topics named below. When 
you have developed your own thought, support it by making a well- 
chosen quotation that will be representative, interesting, complete, 
and short. 

1 At an early age Bryant wrote remarkable poetry. 

2 Washington Irving wrote beautiful descriptions of Eng- 

lish scenery. 

3 Hawthorne described early colonial life. 

4 Benjamin Franklin wrote practical proverbs. 

5 . Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote humorous poetry. 

6 Emerson gave much good advice. 

7 Walt Whitman was a patriot. 

8 Modern magazines often print really beautiful poetry. 

9 Many amusing anecdotes are told to-day. 

10 The newspapers print much concerning science. 

SHOW THAT A QUOTATION IS A QUOTATION 

Take every possible pains to indicate that a quotation 
is not your own work, but that it is a quotation from 
some one else. 

You may make use of certain introductory words, 
as in the following: 

"As Longfellow says in one of his poems — " 
"In the words of a great speaker — " 
"Charles Sumner spoke on this point. He said — " 
"Here are the words of a man who knew — " 

When you have ended a quotation, take great pains 
to indicate that you have ended the quotation and that 
you are now going to write your own words. 



154 ENGLISH 

You may indicate the end of a quotation by using 
some such expression as one of the following: 

" Words like that mean much for us to-day." 
" Napoleon said much more, but these few words illustrate 
my meaning." 

"So much for the testimony of a great man." 
"That was all he said." 

In addition to the use of introductory and concluding 
expressions, make accurate use of quotation-marks. 
Place a quotation-mark at the beginning, and a quota- 
tion-mark at the end, of every direct quotation. 

The Principal said: " Faithful work will always bring 
its reward." 

Do not use quotation-marks for indirect quotations, 
such as the one contained in the following sentence: 

He said that the old ship should be preserved. 

When you write a quotation within a quotation, place 
a single quotation-mark at the beginning of the inner 
quotation, and a single quotation-mark at the end of 
the inner quotation: 

The general turned and said, "My messengers have returned, 
saying: 'The attack must be made on the left flank/" 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: USING QUOTATION-MARKS 
What is the correct punctuation for the following sentences? 

1 Watch me at every moment he said as he plunged into 

the game 

2 The captain turned and cried didn't you see my signals 

3 Mother said come into the house the girl explained 

4 I read a story that said apples were the bringers of civiliza- 

tion 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 155 

5 My kingdom for a horse my kingdom for a horse King 

Richard cried 

6 The man turned and said bring me the letter that said 

send the goods C. O. D. 

7 Well well he said that is the first time I have ever been 

fooled 

8 Avast there the captain shouted are you going to be all 

day on one yard-arm 

9 The boy stammered I dont know and the teacher glared 

at him as though he were saying Id like to eat you alive 
10 Where theres a will theres a way he muttered 

4 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING QUOTATIONS 

Tell how the following paragraphs illustrate the principles empha- 
sized in this lesson: 

"Now, Barbecue, tip us a stave," cried one voice. 

"The old one," cried another. 

"Ay, ay, mates," said Long John, who was standing by, 
with his crutch under his arm, and at once broke out in the 
air and words I knew so well: 

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest." 

And then the whole crew bore chorus: 

"Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" 

And at the third "Ho !" drove the bars before them with a 
will. — Stevenson's Treasure Island. 

"If you're pointing at me, Mr. Macey," said the deputy 
clerk, with an air of anxious propriety, "I'm nowise a man to 
speak out of my place. As the psalm says — 

'I know what's right, nor only so, 
But also practise what I know.' " 

— George Eliot's Silas Marner. 

" Only the old story, you know, of ladies always saying, 
' When I marry,' and gentlemen, ' If I marry.' " — Mrs. Gas- 
kell's Cranford. 



LESSON XVII 

REPEATING FOR EMPHASIS 

REPETITION GIVES EMPHASIS 

"Don't say it again; I heard you the first time." 
" Yes, but I want you to understand it." 

How naturally we use repetition for the sake of 
emphasis. We repeat the same words, or we express 
the same thoughts in different words. An officer 
drilling a company of recruits, orders the men many 
times to repeat movements so that they will be sure 
to remember exactly how to act when orders are given. 

Repetition in writing is just as effective as it is in 
daily conversation, or as it is in the giving of military 
instruction. 

AVOID NEEDLESS REPETITION 

When you write the first draft of a composition, you 
are likely to repeat words unintentionally. Repeti- 
tion that is accidental, and that is not made for the 
sake of emphasis, is not good. Avoid such repetition. 

REPEAT IDEAS 

You need not repeat words. Repeat ideas, but use 
different words than you used at first. 
How unwise it would be to write: 

"The day was hot. The day was hot. The day was hot. 
The day was hot." 

156 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 157 

You can make the repetition effective by repeating 
the thought without repeating the words : 

"The day was hot. The sun beat down upon everything. 
JThe heat was unbearable. The whole country baked in a 
tropic glare.' ' 

Every word carries an added meaning and increases 
emphasis. 

THE EXACT REPETITION OF A FEW WORDS GIVES 
EMPHASIS 

Frequently an exact repetition of a few words gives 
great emphasis. 

"It is beautiful ! beautiful ! beautiful, indeed !" the man said 
as he looked at the landscape. 

"Let me go! let me go!" shrieked the urchin. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GAINING EMPHASIS BY REPETITION 

Write a paragraph on one of the subjects named below. Gain 
emphasis by repeating either thought alone or thought and words. 

What the baby does 

The shoemaker 

An umbrella accident 

Pet superstitions 

My next-door neighbor 

My photographs 

Gossip flies far 

My brother's neckties 

Things I won't throw away 

The kind of person I don't like 

REPEAT PART OF A LONG SUBJECT OR PREDICATE 

When you write a long u complete subject," that is, 
a subject that has a great many modifiers that separate 



1 


Expert skating 


11 


2 


The pleasure of dancing 


12 


3 


The reception 


13 


4 


Study at night 


14 


5 


Making a recitation 


15 


6 


Cooking a picnic dinner 


16 


7 


Going on errands 


17 


8 


A winter day 


18 


9 


Wind at night 


19 


.0 


The thunder-storm 


20 



158 ENGLISH 

it from its predicate, repeat part of the subject in or- 
der to gain clearness and emphasis. 

The first one to arrive, a girl of fifteen, who had just moved 
into the village, — where every one else had lived all their lives, 
— where every one knew every one else, and where every one 
knew every one's family history — the first one to arrive stood 
breathless in the doorway. 

Repeat a predicate that belongs to many subjects. 

They all came, the old relatives from the country districts, 
the fashionable relatives from the distant city, the relatives 
who lived in the village, — one and all came to the reunion. 

REPEAT IMPORTANT IDEAS 

Repeat any words, phrases, or clauses when the 
repetition will add emphasis. 

Water ! water ! the man has fainted ! 

In this room, in this very room, George Washington talked 
with his officers. 

The battle was fought on this field, where these flowers are 
blooming so gaily; men struggled and died here where these 
flowers are blooming. 

REPEAT CONNECTING WORDS 

Repeat connecting words, especially "and," "or," 
and other connecting words, when omitting them might 
lead to a lack of clearness. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING REPETITION FOR EMPHASIS 

Write a paragraph on one of the topics named below. Gain 
emphasis by using any method of repetition. 

1 Be independent 3 Plan for the future 

_ 2 Take advantage of oppor- 4 Be patient 
tunities 5 Work hard 





FOR 


IMMEDIATE USE 159 


6 


Avoid extravagance 


14 Be loyal 


7 


Be friendly 


15 Show courtesy to woman- 


8 


Be sympathetic 


hood 


9 


Be generous 


16 Respect age 


10 


Give help to others 


17 Be helpful 


11 


Return good for evil 


18 Don't hurry 


12 


Don't be extravagant 


19 Respect authority 


13 


Don't be "a pest" 


20 Be polite 



3 ORAL EXERCISE: REPEATING FOR EMPHASIS 
Tell what is emphasized by repetition in the following paragraphs: 

"The proposition is peace. Not peace through the medium 
of war; not peace to be hunted through the labyrinth of in- 
tricate and endless negotiations; not peace to arise out of 
universal discord, fomented from principle, in all parts of 
the empire; not peace to depend on the juridical determination 
of perplexing questions, or the precise marking the shadowy 
boundaries of a complex government. It is simple peace, sought 
in its natural course, and in its ordinary haunts. It is peace 
sought in the spirit of peace, and laid in principles purely 
pacific. " — Burke's Speech on Conciliation, 

"We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final 
resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that 
nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we 
should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we 
cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave 
men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated 
it far above our poor power to add or detract." — Lincoln's 
Gettysburg Oration. 

" Hunger was pushed out of the tall houses in the wretched 
clothing that hung upon poles and lines; Hunger was patched 
into them with straw and rag and wood and paper; Hunger 
was repeated in every fragment of the small modicum of fire- 
wood that the man sawed off; Hunger stared down from the 
smokeless chimneys." — Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. 



I 



LESSON XVIII 

MAKING EXPRESSION BEAUTIFUL 
BEAUTY OF STYLE GIVES PLEASURE 

Beauty of style in writing is just as important as is 
grace in athletic work. People like the poise with 
which a well-trained horseman rides; the ease with 
which a good athlete performs a feat; and the grace 
with which a good dancer moves. People also like 
the charm, the ease, and the grace of good style in 
writing. 

IMITATE GOOD WRITERS 

One way to gain the sense of rhythm, that marks a 
good writer, is to study the style of some good writer 
whose work you admire, and afterward to try to imi- 
tate that style. 

The boy who wishes to learn how to pitch in base- 
ball, or the girl who wishes to learn how to dance more 
gracefully, first watches some one who is skilful, and 
then tries to imitate skill. 

Here is how Washington Irving wrote on a subject 
such as you might write on, — "wandering in the coun- 
try. " Notice the suggestive power of Irving's words 
and the pleasant music of his language. 

"Ina long ramble of the kind on a fine autumnal day, Rip 
had unconsciously scrambled to one of the highest parts of 
the Kaatskill Mountains. He was after his favorite sport of 
squirrel-shooting, and the still solitudes had echoed and re- 

160 






ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE *161 

echoed with the reports of his gun. Panting and fatigued, he 
threw himself, late in the afternoon, on a green knoll, covered 
with mountain herbage, that crowned the brow of a precipice. 
From an opening between the trees he could overlook all the 
lower country for many a mile of rich woodland. He saw at a 
distance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on 
its silent but majestic course, with the reflection of a purple 
cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping 
on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue high- 
lands." 

When you read books that belong to you, mark 
with lead-pencil the passages that appeal to you be- 
cause of beauty of expression. Try frequently to 
imitate the good characteristics of style. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: IMITATING A PLEASING STYLE 

Find in any book a paragraph that appeals to you because of its 
beauty of style. Select an original subject somewhat similar to the 
subject of the paragraph. Then write an original paragraph in which 
you try to imitate the style that you admire. Read aloud to the class 
the paragraph that you selected, and the paragraph that you wrote in 
imitation. 

USE PICTURESQUE EXPRESSIONS 

Use words, or phrases, or any word combinations 
that suggest pictures. 

Roses A cheerful fire 

Interlaced boughs A meek, acquiescing little man 

Vine-clad cottages Massive walls 

Swaying tree tops A plump, bustling little woman 

An opening in the woods A row of bright, brass candle- 

A country road stretching away sticks and pewter mugs 

into the distance Intertwisted vines 

A slope of meadow-land A fine, breathing sunshine 

His gray eyes twinkled Overgrown with burdock 



162 



ENGLISH 



Glossy branches of holly with 

bright red berries 
A cloudless and serene sky 
The flames went sparkling 

and wreathing up the wide- 
mouthed chimney 
Soft, fleecy clouds 
Purple woods fading into 

distance 
The silver gleam of water 
A glassy lake reflecting 

trees 
A knoll, round which a small 

stream made a beautiful bend 
A swirling stream 
Gray-headed old men in long, 

black coats 



the 



the 



An old, high, narrow bridge 

A few vapors, as thin as moon- 
light 

The flakes were large, damp, and 
adhesive 

Tall, white housetops 

Rich stained glass 

An old, hobbling woman with a 
crutch-stick 

Comfortable, green, cultivated 
hills 

Brave warm weather 

A glossy blue-black 

The blue darkness 

Scattering shadows and sparkles 

A faint haze of light 

Half-obliterated footDrints 



2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: INVENTING SUGGESTIVE PHRASES 

Write ten strikingly suggestive or picturesque expressions. Try to 
make your reader realize quickly just what you have in mind. 

USE WORDS THAT AWAKEN PLEASANT THOUGHTS 

Some words, much more than others, awaken pleas- 
ant thoughts. Use many such words. 



Melody 


Frolicking 


Summer 


Harmony 


Motionless 


Incense 


Tenderness 


Golden 


Silence 


Grace 


Loitering 


Moonlight 


Youth 


Luxurious 


Flowers 


Happiness 


Sumptuous 


Buds 


Quietness 


Content 


Languid 


Joy 


Good-humor 


Triumphant 


Beauty 


Wreathed 


Stately 


Faith 


Tranquil 


Music 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



163 



3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING WORDS THAT MAKE PLEASANT 

APPEAL 

1 Write five sentences in which you give emphasis to words that 
arouse pleasant suggestions. 

2 Write a paragraph in which you use many words that arouse 
pleasant suggestion. 

USE WORDS THAT IMITATE THE SOUNDS OP 
WHICH YOU SPEAK 



Many words imitate sounds, 
whenever they are appropriate. 



Employ such words 



Rush 


Rustle 


Clatter 


Swish 


Toll 


Rumble 


Babble 


Whisper 


Roar 


Chatter 


Crackle 


Whir 


Drip 


Rattle 


Bark 


Tinkle 


Splash 


Whiz 


Gurgle 


Moo 


Boom 


Murmur 


Sough 


Crash 


Hum 


Whack 


Tap 


Buzz 


Bang 


Smash 



AVOID UNPLEASANT WORDS 

Avoid slang, vulgarity of expression, and all harsh- 
sounding words not used for specific effect. Use words 
and sentences that increase rhythm, or word-music. 

Remember that short words usually add strength, 
and that long words usually add melody. 

Notice the beauty of word choice in the following 
paragraph: 

"On one of those sober and rather melancholy days, in the 
latter part of autumn, when the shadows of morning and eve- 
ning almost mingle together, and throw a gloom over the de- 
cline of the year, I passed several hours rambling about West- 
minster Abbey." 



164 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING RHYTHMICALLY 

Write a paragraph in which you make every effort to produce a 
pleasing suggestive effect through your choice of words. At the same 
time, write rhythmically, — musically. Perhaps the following subjects 
will help you. 

1 When the leaves were falling. 

2 Covered with snow. 

3 The drifting clouds. 

4 Scattering leaves. 

5 Green with moss. 

6 A great old tree. 

7 A magnificent hilltop crowned with woods. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING EXPRESSION BEAUTIFUL 

By what rhetorical methods has the following passage been made 
beautiful? 

"Suddenly the notes of the deep-laboring organ burst upon 
the ear, falling with doubled and redoubled intensity, and 
rolling, as it were, huge billows of sound. How well do their 
volume and grandeur accord with this mighty building! 
With what pomp do they swell through its vast vaults, and 
breathe their awful harmony through these caves of death, 
and make thp silent sepulchre vocal! — And now they rise in 
triumph and acclamation, heaving higher and higher their 
accordant notes, and piling sound on sound. — And now they 
pause, and the soft voices of the choir break out into sweet 
gushes of melody; they soar aloft, and warble along the roof, 
and seem to play about these lofty vaults like the pure airs of 
heaven. Again the pealing organ heaves its thrilling thunders, 
compressing air into music, and rolling it forth upon the soul. 
What long-drawn cadences! What solemn sweeping con- 
cords ! It grows more and more dense and powerful — it fills 
the vast pile, and seems to jar the very walls — the ear is stunned 
— the senses are overwhelmed. And now it is winding up in 
full jubilee — it is rising from the earth to heaven — the very 
soul seems rapt away and floated upwards on this swelling tide 
of harmony !" — Irving's The Sketch Book, 



LESSON XIX 

CONDENSING 
DON'T WASTE WORDS 

"Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more 
than any man in all Venice. His reasons are as two 
grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff; you shall 
seek all day ere you find them, and when you have 
them, they are not worth the search.' ' 

So says Bassanio, in The Merchant of Venice, in 
speaking of a man who talked a great deal without 
saying anything worth the saying. 

When you write, express your thoughts quickly, 
clearly, forcefully, and beautifully. If you use more 
words than are necessary you burden your style, just 
as you would burden a runner if you sent him on a 
hundred-yard dash, clad in heavy clothes, a heavy 
overcoat, heavy shoes, and heavy rubbers. Reduce 
your words to the amount necessary to accomplish 
your purpose. Don't use one word more than is 
needed. 

Use repetition for clearness or for emphasis when- 
ever you wish, but avoid all unnecessary repetition. 

When you correct the first draft of written work, 
cross out every unnecessary word. Sometimes you can 
cross out not only single words, but also phrases, sen- 

165 



166 ENGLISH 

tences and even whole paragraphs, or pages. When 
you can do so without interfering with clearness, omit 
any formal introduction or conclusion. Try to ex- 
press one thought quickly, clearly, emphatically, and 
pleasingly. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: CUTTING OUT UNNECESSARY WORDS 
What words can be omitted from the following paragraphs ? 

A school is run much as a large factory is run. Let us com- 
pare the two as to the people who manage them and as to those 
who work in them. 

The principal of a high school is like the owner or like the 
manager of a factory. It is he who has control of the place in 
every way. 

Then the alternates, sub-masters, or principal assistants are 
like the division heads of factories. They assist their respective 
officers. It is through them that the principal officers control 
the business. 

Then we have the head of any one of the different depart- 
ments in a high school, who is like the head of any one of the 
different departments in a factory. The department heads 
are in turn responsible to their immediate officers, and they to 
the principal officers. 

The teachers of the different departments in a school may be 
compared to the foremen of the various sections that are under 
the control of the managers of the respective departments in 
a factory. 

Last, and not least, by any means, we have the pupils, who 
are like the workmen in a factory. The pupils and workers 
both are the producers. They both receive pay. The pupils' 
pay is what they gain through the aid of the teachers who have 
followed the directions of a head of department, who in turn 
has followed the orders from the principal. The pay of the 
pupils is given by the registering of marks according to the 
work done, just as the salary of factory workers is given by 
payments of money according to the work done. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 167 

WRITE SINGLE WORDS INSTEAD OF PHRASES 

Whenever possible, write single words instead of 
phrases. The following sentence is wordy. 

"The progress of the team is due in a great measure to the 
helpful work of Mr. Arlin." 

Condense it by writing single words in place of 
phrases : 

"The progress of the team is principally due to Mr. Arlin's 
helpful work." 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING SINGLE WORDS INSTEAD OF PHRASES 
Condense the following expressions by omitting unnecessary words, 
and by writing single words instead of phrases. 

1 Hunger is a thing not familiar to the experiences of most 

of the students of the school. 

2 We heartily agree with the determination of Coach Henney 

in his decision to keep out of all games that involve us 
in such an expense of time and of money. 

3 According to the latest report the last indoor meet held 

with the Marley High School will in all probability be 
the last one in which we shall enter this year. 

4 The greatest interscholastic " stars" in the country, "old 

men" in most cases, all over twenty-two years of age, 
will compete. 

5 In the past four years we have not scored more than six 

points, at the most, at the Newton games. 

6 It is interesting to note, in connection with this fact, 

that the entering class in September alone totalled nearly 
five times the number of members in the senior class. 

7 The society now boasts of a membership of seventy per 

cent of the student body, as compared with a member- 
ship of thirty or forty per cent in former terms of the 
school. 

8 He pictures in his mind a great multitude of pies, of sand- 



168 ENGLISH 

wiches, of fruits, and other delicious eatables of the 
mouth-watering kind. 
9 There are many people who ask only for a piece of the 

cheapest of black bread. 
10 Save some of the money that you would otherwise spend in 
some extravagant way, and give it as a gift to some form 
of charity. 

WRITE PHRASES INSTEAD OF CLAUSES OR SENTENCES 

Sometimes you can condense a clause or a sentence 
into words or phrases. Perhaps you write: 

" Every member of the General Organization is allowed to 
vote, just as a citizen of the United States is allowed to vote. 
The members of the General Organization have many privi- 
leges, just as the citizens of the United States have many 
privileges." 

You can condense this by writing phrases instead of 
clauses : 

" Every member of the General Organization, like every 
citizen of the United States, is allowed to vote and to have 
many privileges. ,, 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING WORDS OR PHRASES INSTEAD OF 
CLAUSES OR SENTENCES 

Condense the following sentences by omitting unnecessary words, 
and by writing words or phrases instead of clauses or sentences: 

1 A building that overtopped those next to it, that was smaller 

than its neighbors farther westward, and that was made 
of orange-colored bricks, stood on Sixteenth Street near 
Second Avenue some years ago. 

2 In June of the present year a new edition of The Clarion, 

which everyone for years has said is the best school an- 
nual that is published in this State, will appear. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 169 

3 The boys who do not prepare the work that is assigned to 

them to do, are usually asked to make a report that they 
will read when the club meets again. 

4 All the pupils who know that Mr. Warren has worked hard 

since the year began, to train the orchestra so that it 
will be a credit to the school, will buy tickets, even if no 
one should try to sell tickets to them. 

5 During the World War, when men who were physically 

fit were needed to fight for the land where they live, it 
was found that a large number of men who were examined 
were unfit to be soldiers. 

WRITE COMPLEX SENTENCES INSTEAD OF 
SIMPLE SENTENCES 

When several short simple sentences make monoto- 
nous effect, express the thought in a complex sentence. 

"All the pupils will go first to the old gymnasium. There 
they will meet at three o'clock. Then they will form in line 
under the direction of the class teachers. When all classes 
have formed into line, the entire student body will set in 
motion." 

You can condense the paragraph of short simple 
sentences by expressing the thought in complex sen- 
tences. 

"At three o'clock all the pupils will go to the old gymnasium, 
where the classes will form in line under the direction of class 
teachers. When all the classes have formed in line, the entire 
student body will set in motion." 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING COMPLEX SENTENCES INSTEAD 
OF SIMPLE SENTENCES 

Condense the following paragraphs by writing complex sentences: 

1 The Rifle Team is one of the many societies of our school. 
Its purpose is to train pupils to shoot. Its purpose is 
also to develop class spirit. 



170 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

2 The Bicycle Club met at the school on March 13. The 

members proceeded to One Hundred and Tenth Street 
and Fifth Avenue. The Club rested there five minutes. 
Then, the members started up Fifth Avenue again. 

3 Class 21 issues a class paper. All the pupils contribute to 

it. They write jokes, news, and very short stories. 

4 The paintings just hung in the library were made by Mr. 

Nolan. They are the best paintings ever exhibited in 
the school. 

5 Yesterday I had a great stroke of bad luck. I went out 

with a truck to deliver boxes. I changed my coat, and 
so left my bills in the coat I had been wearing. 

WRITE SHORT SENTENCES INSTEAD OF LONG SENTENCES 

Sometimes you can gain emphasis by writing a short 
sentence instead of a long sentence. 

The following sentence is not emphatic: 

"Co-operation is the one method that leads to success in 
organizations of every kind." 

Express the principal thought in a short sentence, 
and you gain emphasis: 

"Co-operation leads to success." 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING SHORT SENTENCES 
Condense the following sentences: 

1 The steady streams of boys and of girls kept passing out of 

the door into the street. 

2 The clerk at the end of the table was nearly smothered by 

the pupils who tried to reach him. 

3 The club helps its members a great deal by answering all 

the questions that the members hand in. 

4 On paying an entry fee of fifty cents a team, every class is 

permitted to enter two teams of five men each. 

5 It seems as though during the present year the members 

tried more than ever to make good records. 






LESSON XX 

ENDING A COMPOSITION 

STOP WRITING WHEN YOU HAVE SAID ALL THAT 
YOU HAVE TO SAY 

Sometimes a person who speaks in public seems not 
to know when to stop speaking. Every one in the 
audience believes that the speaker has said all that he 
has to say, — and yet the man talks on, — as though 
looking for an opportunity to stop speaking, and un- 
able to find it. 

There is no need to write a formal conclusion to a 
composition. Stop when you have said all that you 
have to say. If a formal conclusion is part of what 
you have to say, write a formal conclusion. If it is 
not part of what you have to say, omit it. 

FLAN THE ENDING BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO WRITE 

Before you begin to write, plan how you will bring 
your writing to an emphatic close. Do not let the 
ending of a composition be an accident. Make it the 
result of a preconceived plan. Make the ending of a 
composition bring the thought home to the mind and 
the heart of the reader. 

MAKE THE ENDING ADD EMPHASIS 

Do not let the ending of a composition do nothing 
except repeat what has already been said. When you 
write a long composition, bring together the principal 

171 



172 ENGLISH 

topics in a single paragraph, so that the reader can see 
at a glance what has taken him a long time to read in 
detail. When you write a short composition, do not 
repeat what you have said. 

Say something that will reinforce the thought that 
you have presented. Set your reader's mind at work, 
so that the effect of your composition will endure. 

WRITE A STRIKING LAST SENTENCE 

Write an unusually striking last sentence, — a sentence 
that will stick in the reader's mind, and make him 
think. 

The last sentence may be declarative, exclamatory, 
interrogative, or imperative. It may be short, or long; 
simple, compound, or complex. The following are 
good concluding sentences: 

1 The leaden skies continued to pour down their ever- 

lasting rain, while I ran, dismayed, into the darkness. 

2 That is the sort of book I like — a book good in every page. 

3 Truly, we must admit that the ways of Nature are subtle 

and mysterious. 

4 The world is certainly changing, — and always for the 

better. 

5 Its further benefits remain yet to be seen. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A STRIKING LAST SENTENCE 

Imagine that you have written on one of the fpllowing topics. Write 
only the very last sentence. Make that sentence striking. 

1 The hospitals. 

2 The playgrounds. 

3 The parks. 

4 The day-nursery. 

5 The fire stations. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 173 

6 The public libraries. 

7 The churches. 

8 The schools. 

9 The newspapers. 
10 The street cleaners. 

THE LONG SENTENCE AS A CONCLUDING SENTENCE 

The long sentence gives an especial opportunity to 
bring together different threads of thought within the 
bounds of a single sentence. The following is a good 
example of a long concluding sentence: 

I have seen many stand near that little brook and gaze around 
in wonder, forgetting where they were, marvelling at the beauty 
of the scene, — motionless, — and then finally I have seen them 
pull themselves away, looking back as if to imprint forever on 
their memories a picture of the little brook rippling peacefully 
through that enchanting scene. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A LONG LAST SENTENCE 

Imagine that you have written a composition on any subject that 
interests you. Write only the very last sentence. Make that sentence 
both striking and long. 

THE INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE AS A 
CONCLUDING SENTENCE 

The interrogative sentence asks a question and chal- 
lenges an answer. It may be short or long. 

1 Is there not reason, then, for thinking the world of the 

microscope a fascinating world? 

2 Can any one now believe it impossible for an airplane to 

sink a battleship? 

3 And are you not one of the school? 

4 Which class will organize its team first? 

5 In which list do you wish to see your name? 



174 



ENGLISH 



3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING AN INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE AS A 
CONCLUDING SENTENCE 

Imagine that you have written a long composition on one of the fol- 
lowing subjects. Write only the concluding paragraph. Make the 
last sentence an effective interrogative sentence. 

1 Why he is popular. 

2 The art of conjuring. 

3 Our best citizens. 

4 An alumni meeting. 

5 A wonderful tool. 

6 A queer demonstration. 

7 "Good-for-nothing" things. 

8 I hate to get up in the morning. 

9 WhVo-the-wisps. 

10 The excitement of doing nothing. 



THE EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE AS A CONCLUDING 
SENTENCE 

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling, 
and is likely to awaken strong feeling in the reader. 

1 Oh, if you could but once see those fields, you would love 

them as I do ! 

2 A day like that is worth a fortune ! 

3 May I live to see that place again ! 

4 The trip was over ! over forever ! 

5 It was my own flag ! 



4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING AN EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE AS A 
CONCLUDING SENTENCE 

Imagine that you have written a long composition on one of the fol- 
lowing subjects. Write only the last paragraph of the composition. 
Make your last sentence an effective exclamatory sentence. 

1 The size of this place. 

2 Modern Sidney Cartons. 

3 Fire and the human race. 









FOR IMMEDIATE USE 175 

4 Three new novels. 

5 Greek is worth while. 

6 A war for liberty. 

7 He raised the temperature. 

8 An American queen. 

9 Having a tooth pulled. 
10 My friend, the barber. 

THE EMOTIONAL CONCLUSION 

You can gain powerful effect by writing a somewhat 
long and highly emotional conclusion that appeals 
frankly to the reader's emotions. Such a conclusion, 
when carried to considerable length in a speech, is 
called a peroration. 

All this, Nature has given us ! Practically everything that 
makes life worth while ! Beauty, fragrance, peace, content, — 
all given in abundance ! How much natural wealth surrounds 
us in our flowers and trees and skies! How easy to go, at 
least, to a park, and there gain some of the satisfaction Nature 
offers ! The peace of the country has cured many a " kicker " — 
it may cure you ! 

The memory of that wonderful sunset in Connecticut,— 
the brilliant rays of the descending sun lighting the clouds 
with red; the slowly deepening shadows shrouding the woods, 
and rising higher still; — the glory in the sky changing to gray 
and brown; — and the solemn hush all about, — this remains 
with me as a remembrance of God's sublime beauty shown on 
earth ! 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING AN EMOTIONAL CONCLUSION 

Imagine that you have written a long composition on one of the 
following subjects. Write a concluding paragraph that will appeal to 
the emotions of the reader. 

1 My company manners. 

2 Child labor in factories. 






176 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

3 Women patriots. 

4 Our debt to error. 

5 Two good women. 

6 "The Princess." 

7 Old maids. 

8 Advertising myself. 

9 The quality of mercy. 
10 Science at work here. 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: ENDING A COMPOSITION 

In what respects is the following paragraph an excellent concluding 
paragraph for a serious argument? 

"All this, I know well enough, will sound wild and chimer- 
ical to the profane herd of those vulgar and mechanical poli- 
ticians who have no place among us — a sort of people who 
think that nothing exists but what is gross and material; and 
who, therefore, far from being qualified to be directors of the 
great movements of empire, are not fit to turn a wheel in the 
machine. But to men truly initiated and rightly taught, 
these ruling and master principles which, in the opinion of 
such men as I have mentioned, have no substantial existence, 
are in truth everything, and all in all. Magnanimity in poli- 
tics is not seldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and 
little minds go ill together. If we are conscious of our situa- 
tion and glow with zeal to fill our place as becomes our station 
and ourselves, we ought to auspicate all our public proceedings 
on America with the old warning of the church, Sursum Corda! 
We ought to elevate our minds to the greatness of that trust 
to which the order of Providence has called us. By adverting 
to the dignity of this high calling, our ancestors have turned a 
savage wilderness into a glorious empire, and have made the 
most extensive, and the only honorable conquests, not by 
destroying, but by promoting the wealth, the number, the 
happiness of the human race. Let us get an American rev- 
enue as we have got an American empire. English privileges 
have made it all that it is ; English privileges alone will make it 
all that it can be." — Burke's Speech on Conciliation. 






LESSON XXI 

CORRECTING A COMPOSITION 
REVIEW ALL WRITTEN WORK 

Years ago there was a good lady who took a slate and 
slate-pencil, and wrote in full every letter that she had 
to write. Then she corrected what she had written, 
and copied it neatly on paper. Slates and slate- 
pencils have gone out of use, but the correction of 
written work still produces excellent results. 

It is a real pleasure to give the finishing touches to 
any good work. Even a bootblack gives a last, satis- 
fied brush to leave your shoes shining like mirrors. 

CONDENSE YOUR WORK 

Any one who writes, says at first much more than he 
needs to say. The first work of correction is condens- 
ing. Read your composition to see if you have re- 
peated thoughts unnecessarily; if you have employed 
phrases where you might have used single words; 
clauses where you might have written phrases, and 
sentences where you might have subordinated your 
thought in clauses. Cross out, relentlessly, every word 
that does not help you to say fully, clearly, emphati- 
cally, and pleasingly all that you have to say. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: CROSSING OUT UNNECESSARY EXPRESSIONS 
Cross out all unnecessary expressions in the following: 

Advertising has increased and multiplied to a surprising 
extent within the last half of a century. It is still continuing 

177 



178 ENGLISH 

to increase, not only in the newspapers, but also on all the 
boats, railway cars, fences, and in public places everywhere. 
Even the rocks and trees are covered over with advertising 
pictures and words. Vacant lots have been leased just to 
provide more space for the erection of great bill-boards. Our 
magazines are so full of advertising in these days that sometimes 
it is very hard to find the reading matter. 

BREAK YOUR WORK INTO PARAGRAPHS 

Break your work into paragraphs that will make 
your thought clear and emphatic, — and express only 
one thought in a paragraph. Indent the first line of 
every paragraph about an inch, so that the beginning 
of a paragraph will be noticeable. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: CORRECTING ERRORS IN PARAGRAPHING 
Correct the following composition for errors in paragraphing: 

Where do pins go? Have you ever asked that question? 
Pins seem to go everywhere, — especially on the street. One 
often sees some one stoop to pick up a pin, remembering the 
saying: "See a pin and pick it up, and all the day you'll have 
good luck." Our works and words are like pins, — sown broad- 
cast. Who will pick them up? Will the one who does pick 
them up have good luck? Will what we scatter be crooked or 
straight, strong or weak, heads first or points first? Where 
do pins go? We don't know. They go everywhere, but if 
people are going to pick them up, let's scatter good pins any- 
way. 

MAKE THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE EFFECTIVE 

Examine every sentence you have written, and see if 
every sentence is a well-formed sentence, with subject 
and predicate. 

Examine all your sentences, and see if you have pro- 
duced variety in sentence structure. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 179 

Change short choppy sentences into unified complex 
sentences. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING SENTENCE STRUCTURE EFFECTIVE 

Correct all errors in the following passages, and make the sentence 
structure effective: 

1 In the ordinary modern parent of the ordinary boy many 

faults can be found, but the greatest and most glaring 
of all is the lack of proper training of the child's habits. 

2 Before Tom had had a surfeit of that which he liked so 

much, he fell into the trap of a group of seniors and, 
bound by his desire for more notoriety, made a mistake 
that made every one laugh at him for a whole term. 

3 Suddenly they heard a noise, and they all lay still on the 

floor until the cat came in with a spool of cotton in 
front of her, rolling and playing with it on the floor. , 

4 An opening was not far away, we began making our way 

toward it. 

5 Arriving there the pistols were drawn and we made ready 

for the attack. 

6 The street lamp shone steadily on through the rain and 

mist, and a lonely policeman, glancing neither to the 
right nor the left, hurried on down the street, whistling 
mournfully, his wet raincoat flashing back the corner 
lamp's rays. 

7 It must touch the reader so that he will be anxious for 

what is going to happen next in the plot. 

8 It was a very beautiful place for a village to be founded. 

9 Washington Irving loved little children and a very good 

life, he had faith in his fellow men and mankind to the 
lowest class. 
10 The wife would work very hard and the husband went 
out hunting, fishing, chopping down trees and the like. 

CORRECT ERRORS IN GRAMMAR 

Correct all grammatical errors, — especially those 
caused by carelessness. 



180 ENGLISH 

4 ORAL EXERCISE: CORRECTING ERRORS IN GRAMMAR 

Exchange written work with some other member of your class. 
Point out and explain all errors in grammar. 

CORRECT ERRORS IN SPELLING 

Sometimes, because you write carelessly, you mis- 
spell even the most familiar words. Correct the spell- 
ing of every misspelled word. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: CORRECTING ERRORS IN SPELLING 

Exchange written work with some other member of your class. 
Point out and correct all errors in spelling. 

CORRECT ERRORS IN CAPITALIZATION 

t Correct all errors in capitalization. Follow the rules 
for capitalization given in Lesson XXII. 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: CORRECTING ERRORS IN CAPITALIZATION 

Exchange written work with some other member of your class. 
Point out and explain all errors in capitalization. 

CORRECT ERRORS IN PUNCTUATION 

Read your composition aloud slowly, and pause at 
every turn of thought. At every pause, place the 
proper mark of punctuation. Study the rules for 
punctuation given in Lesson XXII. 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: CORRECTING ERRORS IN PUNCTUATION 

Exchange written work with some other member of your class. 
Point out and explain all errors in punctuation. 

MAKE YOUR WORK SO CLEAR THAT ANY ONE CAN 
UNDERSTAND IT 

Examine your work to see if you have said, in every 
sentence, just what you wish to say; and to see if you 




FOR IMMEDIATE USE 181 

have expressed your thought so that even a careless 
reader will understand it. 

Ask yourself, as you read every paragraph: 

Does this make my thought clear? 

Does this present my thought emphatically? 

Is this written pleasingly? 

ADD SPECIFIC DETAILS OR EXAMPLES 

Naturally, in writing the first draft of a composition, 
you write general statements. You will need to add 
many specific details and examples. You write: 

"Abraham Lincoln was kind-hearted/ ' 

When you revise your work, give a definite example 
in support of that general statement. Say: 

"In November, 1863, when Lincoln learned that Mrs. 
Bixby of Boston had lost five sons in the war, his heart was 
so touched by her great sacrifice that he immediately sat down 
and wrote to the sorrowing mother a most tender and sym- 
pathetic letter." 

If you add a specific illustration in support of every 
general statement, you will write remarkably well. 

The following sentences show how you can add spe- 
cific examples in support of general statements. 

General: Some of the scenes along the Hudson are beautiful. 

Specific: Some of the scenes along the Hudson are beautiful, 
especially the scenes in the Narrows, where great gray walls of 
rock rise to the sky on both sides of the river, and leave only 
a narrow opening through which the river flows. 

General: The city government gives us many things. 

Specific: The city government gives us good streets, 
schools, libraries, playgrounds, museums, hospitals, and police 
protection. 






182 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

General: Baseball is in the air. 

Specific: The "Giants," the "Yanks," and all the great 
teams are practising in the South. "Babe" Ruth is again 
hitting home runs. The newspapers are full of baseball news, — 
and baseball is in the air everywhere. 

General: Some apes are very intelligent. 

Specific: Some apes are very intelligent. One, owned by a 
moving-picture company, has been trained to wear clothes, 
eat with knife and fork, wait on table, make beds, and smoke 
a pipe. 

General: The wireless telegraph is a most helpful invention. 

Specific: The wireless telegraph is a most helpful invention. 
It warns ocean liners of approaching storms; it sends messages 
from damaged or sinking ships; and it sends news of all kinds 
without delay. 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ADDING SPECIFIC DETAILS OR EXAMPLES 

1 Write five general statements on one of the topics named below. 

2 Rewrite the five general statements, adding specific details or 
examples. 



1 

2 
3 
4 
5 


The water-supply system. 
The Health Department. 
The Postal System. 
The protection of children. 
Public education. 


6 

7 
8 


The protection of the food-supply. 
Public playgrounds. 
The care of the afflicted. 


9 
10 
11 
12 
13 


Public transportation. 

Paying the cost of government. 

Factory inspection. 

Fire prevention. 

The State militia. 


14 
15 
16 


The Department of Agriculture. 
The duties of citizenship. 
The use of English. 



LESSON XXII 

PUNCTUATING 

PUNCTUATION IS A GREAT HELP 

iwishiwerekingiheardsomeonesayanditsetmetowishingtooiwishediwer 
eallsortsofdelightfulthingsandbeingsbuticouldnotmakeupmymindast 
owhatishouldreallyliketobesoiwishedandwishedandwished 

That is the way people wrote before the introduc- 
tion of spacing, capital letters, and punctuation. Such 
writing is not at all easy to read. 

The advance of civilization has brought much that 
is ingenious and helpful. Among other things, it has 
brought the use of spacing, capital letters, and punc- 
tuation. 

The more skilfully you use spacing, capital letters, 
and punctuation, the more certain you will be to make 
your reader understand you in just the way that you 
wish him to understand. 

USE CAPITAL LETTERS TO GIVE EMPHASIS AND DIGNITY 

Capital letters are larger and more noticeable than 
other letters. Because of this they attract attention. 
Begin with a capital letter: 

1 The first word of a sentence. 

2 The first word of a quoted sentence. 

The Principal said: " To-morrow will be a holiday." 

3 Any word, or any group of words, standing alone. 

Type. 
Rollers. 

183 



184 ENGLISH 

Composing cases. 
Printing-presses of all kinds. 

4 The first word of every line of verse. 

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: 
Its loveliness increases; it will never 
Pass into nothingness." 

5 The name of a person, the name of a place, and certain 

words closely associated with the names of persons or 
the names of places. 

1 Robert Browning. 

2 Venice. 

3 Central Park. 

4 The Sunny South. 

5 A Venetian gondola. 

6 A Browningesque style. 

6 Any word used as the name of a person. 

It was "Hungry" Tim. 

7 Any title placed immediately before a proper name. 

I saw Professor Thompson. 

8 Any title or any word used to indicate a particular person. 

Mr. President. 
The Thunderer. 

9 The names of the days of the week, the months of the 

year, and definitely named periods of time. 

Monday. 

July. 

The Pilgrim Tercentenary. 

10 The name of any particular organization. 

The Wireless Club. 

11 The pronoun "I." 

12 An exclamation like "Ha!" "Ho!" or "Whew!" 

13 The abbreviations of words used in naming college and 

university degrees. 

A.B. 

Ph.D. 

14 The first word, and every important word, in a title or 

title-page, or in the name of a trade-mark or firm. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 185 

English for Immediate Use. 
The School Supply Company. 
The Jackson-Jones Filing System. 
15 Any word that you wish to emphasize strongly. You may 
give added emphasis by writing the entire word in 
capital letters. 
"Fire! fire! FIRE!" she screamed. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING CAPITAL LETTERS 

1 Tell where capital letters should be placed in the following pas- 
sage. Give a reason for the use of every capital letter that you suggest. 

i had studied a long time and had become tired putting 
my book the odyssey down on the desk i soon fell asleep 
a light touch on my arm woke me up ho youth arise 
said a voice i knew at once to be athenas 

2 Exchange written work with some other member of your class. 
Point out and explain all errors in capitalization. 

USE A PERIOD TO INDICATE THE CONCLUSION OF A 
THOUGHT OR THE MAKING OF AN ABBREVIATION 

1 Place a period at the end of every declarative sentence. 

2 Place a period after every abbreviation. 

A.M. 

Gen. Sherman. 

USE COMMAS TO SEPARATE PARTS OF A SENTENCE 

1 Use commas to separate the parts of a series. 

On the table were books, pens, papers, and a ruler. 
The library has books about art, books about science, 

books about history, and many other kinds of books 

besides books of fiction. 

2 Use commas to set off words given in explanation, but not 

necessary to complete the meaning of the sentence. 
The girl, a first-year student, won the prize. 

3 Use commas to separate from the rest of a sentence any 



186 ENGLISH 

explanatory word, like "however," "moreover," and 

"nevertheless." 

There is, however, nothing more to be done. 

4 Use a comma to separate from the rest of a sentence any 

expression used in direct address, or used independently. 

Pauline, answer the next question. 

Not hearing what the teacher said, Pauline sat still. 

5 Use a comma before a direct quotation, unless you wish 

to give the quotation strong emphasis. In that event, 
use a colon. 

The boy answered, "I didn't see it, Sir." 
Here are Scott's own words: "Time will rust the sharpest 
sword." 

6 Use a comma to indicate the omission of implied words. 

In the first year there are 200 students; in the second, 
189; in the third, 135; in the fourth, 114. 

7 Use a comma before a unified expression beginning with 

"not," introduced as part of a sentence. 

We came to school, not for amusement, but for work. 

8 Use a comma to separate words whose relationship may be 

misunderstood. 

After the graduation of Walter Thomas, Smith was 
editor. 

9 Use a comma to indicate the end of a very long subject. 

That he is one of the best students, and at the same 
time one of the best athletes in the school, is much to 
his credit. 

10 Use a comma to separate from the rest of a sentence a 

long phrase or clause, or any expression that may be 

misunderstood without the comma. 

When the students saw all that he had done in their 
interest, and when they recognized how much they 
owed to him, they united as one in praising him. 

11 Use a comma to indicate numerical divisions. 

3,700. 
1,373,989. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 187 

USE QUOTATION-MARKS TO INDICATE WORDS SPOKEN 

BY OTHERS, OR TO SET OFF EXPRESSIONS 

EMPLOYED IN AN UNUSUAL WAY 

1 Place in double quotation-marks all words quoted directly. 

Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage." 

2 Place in single quotation-marks all words quoted within a 

quotation. 

I said, " Father made the remark, ' That must not happen 
again.' " 

3 Place in double quotation-marks any word used merely as 

a word. 

The word "dahlia" is derived from the name of a great 
botanist. 

4 Place in double quotation-marks any unusual expression 

that you wish to emphasize. 

The "try-all-the-time" player is the one the school needs. 

USE THE APOSTROPHE TO INDICATE POSSESSION 

1 Use an apostrophe to indicate possession. 

Henry's book. 

2 Use an apostrophe to indicate the omission of letters. 

The Brown and Williams MTg Co. 

3 Use an apostrophe in writing the plural of a figure, a letter, 

or a symbol. 

There were three 2's in the sentence. 

Make three S's. 

The two A's are similar. 

USE THE HYPHEN TO INDICATE UNION 

1 Use a hyphen to indicate the union of the parts of a word 

that is broken at the end of a line. 

2 Use a hyphen to indicate the union of the parts of the name 

of a fraction. One-third. Three-fifths. 

3 Use a hyphen to indicate the union of the parts of certain 

double words like " death-rate," "half-year," and "by- 
products." 



188 ENGLISH 

4 Use hyphens in order to indicate the union of several words 
that you wish to combine. 
He is a "ready-to-the-minute" player. 

USE THE DASH TO INDICATE A BREAK IN THOUGHT 

1 Use a dash to indicate a sudden change of thought. 

"I was saying — but what do you wish now?' 1 * 

2 Use a dash as a means of emphasizing statements. 

Our way of playing, — a way carefully thought out, — 
puzzled our opponents. 

3 Use a dash to indicate the omission of a preposition. 

The September — February session. 

4 Use a dash after an enumeration followed by a pronoun 

that takes the place of subject. 

Entering school, working hard, succeeding, and at last 
graduating — all this passes before we know it. 

USE THE INTERROGATION-POINT TO INDICATE 
A QUESTION 

1 Write an interrogation-point after every question. 

What are our chances for success? 

2 Write an interrogation-point, enclosed in parentheses, after 

every statement that you think untrustworthy, or after 
any word or statement whose falsehood you wish to indi- 
cate. 
The rain that prohibited us from going on the school 

excursion gave us the pleasure (?) of a day of regular 

work. 

USE THE EXCLAMATION-MARK TO INDICATE EMOTION 

1 Use an exclamation-mark to indicate strong feeling. 

Oh ! how well I remember that day ! 

2 Use an exclamation-mark to emphasize a statement. 

The one great game of the year is before us ! 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 189 

USE THE COLON TO INDICATE AN ABRUPT 
CHANGE IN THOUGHT 

1 Use a colon after the salutation in a letter. 

Dear Sir: 
Gentlemen : 
Dear Harry: 
Dear Madame: 

2 Use a colon to indicate a sharp break in thought. 

We have lost two games: we shall lose no more. 

3 Use a colon to introduce a quotation that you wish to 

emphasize. 

The Principal said: "It is the decision of the judges that 
the trophy shall be given to the Second Year Class." 

4 Use a colon in place of the words "for example." 

There are two kinds of students: those who do nothing 
except for themselves, and those who do everything for 
the school and for others. 

5 Use a colon to separate figures denoting hours from fig- 

ures denoting minutes. 
3:45. 

USE THE SEMICOLON TO SEPARATE MARKED DIVISIONS 
OF THOUGHT 

1 Use a semicolon in place of an omitted conjunction, to 

separate the principal parts of a compound sentence. 

A year ago we were in despair because we had lost most 
of our leading players; this year we rejoice in the 
presence of some of the best players in the school 
league. 

2 Use semicolons to separate the parts of a series when the 

parts are expressed at considerable length, or when the 
use of commas would not lead to clearness. 
Some of our pupils come from China; some from South 
America; some from islands in the ocean; some from 
Syria and Turkey; and many from Europe. 



190 ENGLISH 

USE MARKS OF PARENTHESIS TO ENCLOSE FIGURES, 
LETTERS, OR WORDS 

1 Use marks of parenthesis to enclose figures, letters, or 

words that mark divisions of thought. 

(1) Co-operation is essential. 

(2) Co-operation includes every one in the school. 
(Paragraph 1.) 

2 Use marks of parenthesis to enclose unessential and addi- 

tional information. 

In a previous article (The April number, page 12) there 
was presented a full history of the club. 

USE BRACKETS TO INDICATE INSERTED WORDS 

1 Use brackets to enclose words that you insert in a sen- 
tence, paragraph, or article written by some one else. 
"The quality [or characteristic] of mercy is not strained 
[is not a matter of compulsion]." 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: CAPITALIZING AND PUNCTUATING 
Capitalize and punctuate the following quotations: 

1 who does the best his circumstances allow does well acts 

nobly angels could do no more 

2 in the lexicon of youth which fate reserves for a bright 

manhood there is no such word as fail 

3 i pity the man who can travel from dan to beersheba and 

cry tis all barren 

4 give me a theme a little poet cried and i will do my part 

tis not a theme you need the world replied you need a 
heart 

5 a good prayer tho often used is still fresh and fair in the 

ears and eyes of heaven 

6 reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body as by 

the one health is preserved strengthened and invigorated 
by the other virtue which is the health of the mind is 
kept alive cherished and confirmed 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 191. 

7 the present is the living sum total of the whole past 

8 as turning the logs will make a dull fire burn so changes of 

study a dull brain 

9 his failings leaned to virtues side 

10 the world was sad the garden was a wild and man the 

hermit sighed till woman smiled 

11 trials teach us what we are they dig up the soil and let us 

see what we are made of they just turn up some of the 
ill weeds on to the surface 

12 blessings may appear under the shape of pains losses and 

disappointments but let him have patience and he will 
see them in their proper figure 

13 better the rudest work that tells a story or records a fact 

than the richest without meaning there should not be 
a single ornament put upon great civic buildings without 
some intellectual intention 

14 be good sweet maid and let who will be clever do noble 

things not dream them all day long and so make life 
death and the vast forever one grand sweet song 

15 earth has built the great watch-towers of the mountains 

and they lift their heads far up into the sky and gaze 
ever upward and around to see if the judge of the world 
comes not 

16 the idol of to-day pushes the hero of yesterday out of our 

recollection and will in turn be supplanted by his suc- 
cessor of to-morrow 

17 whatever any one does or says i must be good 

18 an evil soul producing holy witness is like a villain with a 

smiling cheek a goodly apple rotten at the heart oh 
what a goodly outside falsehood hath 

19 nothing can work me damage except myself the harm that 

i sustain i carry about with me and never am a real 
sufferer but by my own fault 

20 as you grow ready for it somewhere or other you will find 

what is needful for you in a book 

21 a good thought is indeed a great book for which god is to 

be first thanked next he who is the first to utter it 



192 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

22 he who obeys with modesty appears worthy of some day 

or other being allowed to command 

23 many men resemble glass smooth polished and dull so 

long as unbroken then sharp every splinter pricks 

24 but what good came of it at last quoth little peterkin 

why that i cannot tell said he but twas a famous victory 

25 speech is better than silence silence is better than speech 

26 where slavery is there liberty cannot be and where liberty 

is there slavery cannot be 

27 what shadows we are and what shadows we pursue 

28 the love of books is a love which requires neither justifica- 

tions apology nor defense 

29 the groves were gods first temples ere man learned to hew 

the shaft and lay the architrave and spread the roof 
above them ere he framed the lofty vault to gather and 
roll back the sound of anthems in the darkling wood 
amidst the cool silence he knelt down and offered to the 
mightiest solemn thanks and supplication 

30 had i a dozen sons each in my love alike i had rather have 

eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptu- 
ously surfeit out of action 

31 great men stand like solitary towers in the city of god and 

secret passages running deep beneath external nature 
give their thoughts intercourse with higher intelligences 
which strengthens and consoles them and of which the 
laborers on the surface do not even dream 

32 what a piece of work is man how noble in reason how in- 

finite in faculty in form and moving how express and 
admirable in action how like an angel in apprehension 
how like a god the beauty of the world the paragon of 
animals and yet to me what is this quintessence of 
dust man delights not me no nor women neither though 
by your smiling you seem to say so 

33 the sense of honor is of so fine and delicate a nature that 

it is only to be met with in minds which are naturally 
noble or in such as have been cultivated by great ex- 
amples or a refined education 



LESSON XXIII 

THE FINAL COPY 

WRITE WITH BLUE-BLACK INK ON WHITE PAPER 

In order to prepare a pleasing final copy of written 
work provide a suitable supply of good white paper, 
about 8 x 103^ inches in size; good blue-black ink, and 
a good pen. It will be better still if you can obtain 
a typewriter. 

LEAVE AMPLE MARGINS 

Under no circumstances write so that your work will 
appear cramped. Leave margins of an inch, or of 
an inch and a half, at the left, at the right, at the top, 
and at the bottom of every page. Make your work 
stand out as if in a frame of white. 

WRITE A UNIQUE TITLE 

Write, or print, the title of your composition at the 
head of the first page. Make the title short, unique, 
and attractive, and relate it closely to the thought of 
the composition. 

Omit an entire fine after the title. On every page 
produce an appearance of spaciousness. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: RECOGNIZING GOOD TITLES 
What are the good characteristics of the following titles? 

1 Are You a Sydney Carton? 4 Telling Colors by the Nose 

2 No Way to Do It 5 There's No Such Thing 

3 Why I Like to be Poor 6 Higher than the Top 

193 



lfc 


I ENGLISH 


[ 


7 


My Name is Napoleon 


16 


What a Senior Wants 


8 


My Fashionable Hobbies 


17 


A Frozen Talk 


9 


The Superfreshman 


18 


Myself and Me 


10 


Mostly Fools 


19 


Our Watch-Dog 


11 


An Orderly Panic 


20 


WeVe Smashed Something 


12 


Sisters under Their Skins 


21 


Just a Word 


13 


Hexanitrodiphenylamine 


22 


Remembering 


14 


The Play's the Thing 


23 


How to See Sound 


15 


Translating English 


24 


My Right-Hand Man 



2 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING GOOD TITLES 
Make the following titles attractive: 



1 


Playgrounds — their use and 


12 


Preventing waste 




value 


13 


How to make a bracelet 


2 


One method of obtaining 


14 


My four years in school 




summer relief 


15 


Why I like to read 


3 


A camp excursion 


16 


An unusual event 


4 


Good recreations 


17 


The indoor meet 


5 


A day in vacation 


18 


Our annual alumni reunion 


6 


An interesting visit 


19 


A new prize offer 


7 


The work of the Clover 


20 


A good exhibition 




Club 


21 


Last week's debate 


8 


The work of a trade-school 


22 


The examinations are com- 


9 


Shall we have school in the 




ing 




summer? 


23 


A class election 


10 


A friendly man 


24 


How perfumes are made 


11 


The use of a lathe 


25 


A delightful walk 



MAKE THE PARAGRAPHS EMPHATIC 

Indent the first word of every paragraph at least an 
inch from the beginning of the other lines of the com- 
position. 

MAKE THE PAGES ATTRACTIVE IN APPEARANCE 

Number every page that you write. Throughout 
your composition insert illustrations clipped from peri- 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 195 

odicals, or drawn by yourself. Draw around every 
illustration, a neat "box" of ruled lines. 

Do all that you can to make the pages of your com- 
position as attractive and as original in appearance as 
are the pages of a good magazine. 

MAKE A SEPARATE TITLE-PAGE 

Write an attractive title-page for the entire composi- 
tion. Print, or write, on the title-page the subject of 
your composition, your own full name, the name of 
your teacher, the date, and a list of the authorities con- 
sulted. 

USE A FOLDER 

Do not fold the composition, nor roll it, but place 
it in a white or gray folder, so that it will not become 
soiled. Fasten the folder neatly with ordinary, small, 
brass fasteners. 

MAKE THE COVER OF THE FOLDER LOOK LIKE THE 
COVER OF A BOOK 

On the cover of the folder, about an inch from every 
edge, draw neatly ruled lines that will give a box-like 
effect. Print, in plain, simple, heavy letters, the title 
of the composition, and your own full name. Make the 
cover of your folder look like the cover of a book, — 
simple, plain, attractive, and artistic. 

A TYPICAL TITLE-PAGE 

The title-page printed below is clear and gives suf- 
ficient information. Make the title-pages of all your 
compositions just as effective. 



SHALL WE ASK FOR 
MORE EXAMINATIONS? 



BY 

HERBERT CARLETON WOLF 

ENGLISH 3 B 



AUTHORITIES CONSULTED 

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 45, Page 594 

The Educational Review, Volume 16, Pages 407-410 

The Educational Review, Volume 19, Pages 442-454 



submitted to 

MR. THOMAS WHARTON 

June 6, 1921 

196 






LESSON XXIV 

WRITING AN EXAMINATION PAPER 

YOU MAY LEARN THE "KNACK" OF WRITING GOOD 
ANSWERS 

"When I take an examination my thoughts all fly 
away, and I don't put down half that I know !" How 
many times you have heard that, and how many times 
you may have said it yourself ! 

At examination time you may have wished for some 
magic pen that would move itself across the pages of 
your paper and always write perfect answers. Using 
such a pen would be tedious work. It would be just as 
uninteresting as though, when you played ball, the ball 
moved of its own accord from pitcher to catcher, out 
into the field, to a base, and finally back to the pitcher. 
The real fun of any game is the exercise of skill in play- 
ing the game. The fun of playing baseball is the fun 
of making an effort to approach an ideal of base- 
ball playing that.you set for yourself. The fun of writ- 
ing an examination paper is the fun of making the effort 
to write good answers, — and there may be real fun in 
writing an examination paper, — just as much real fun 
as in displaying skill in any other activity. 

"He has the knack, somehow, of writing good answers 
every time he writes an examination paper ! I wish I 
could do it! I study just as hard as he does, and I 
know just as much !" * 

197 



198 ENGLISH 

If you have ever said anything like that, the reply 
is easy. You can learn the " knack' ' of writing good 
answers so that you, too, will be likely to gain good 
marks, if you study sufficiently, — for real knowledge is 
always necessary. 

The object of this lesson is to help you to avoid the 
worry, the hurry, and the vexation that you usually 
feel when you write answers in any examination. 

ANALYZE THE QUESTION 

The first step to take in writing a good examination 
answer is to analyze the question. Read carefully 
every word of the question. Think what every word 
means. Notice how many parts the question has, and 
determine to answer every part. If the question con- 
tains a word that you do not understand fully at first 
sight, look at the word carefully and consider it in 
connection with the context, — with the words just 
before it and just after it. 

You have studied Washington Irving's Sketch-Book. 
In a written examination you meet the following ques- 
tion: 

" What is Washington Irving's opinion of the effect of English 
country life upon English character? " 

A hasty reading of the question might lead you to 
write merely about English country life, or perhaps 
about Washington Irving's opinion of English char- 
acter. An analysis of the question shows that what you 
should write about is neither English country life nor 
English character alone, but the effect of the one upon 
the other, as observed by Washington Irving. The 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 199 

question is based upon Irving's Sketch-Book. In effect, 
then, part of the question is understood. That part 
may be expressed by the words, "In Irving's Sketch- 
Book." The question really is: " What is Washington 
Irving's opinion, as expressed in The Sketch-Book, of 
the effect of English country life upon English char- 
acter ?" 

The question does not ask you to tell all you know, 
from any source, about English country life. It indi- 
cates that you are to select from The Sketch-Book any- 
thing concerning English country lif e that Irving men- 
tions as affecting English character in his time. Be- 
fore answering the question you have the following 
subjects to bear in mind: 

1 All that Irving said in The Sketch-Book about 

English country life. 

2 All that Irving said in The Sketch-Book about 

English character. 

3 The points in English country life that changed 

or modified English character. 

4 The changes or modifications in English char- 

acter made by the points named. 
Look at the following question: 

"Do Jim Hawkins's escapes from the many dangers of the 
treasure-hunting cruise, depend mainly upon Jim's cleverness 
or upon his ' luck ' ? Write a paragraph setting forth your 
views." 

Before you write an answer to this question, think of 
the following subjects: 

1 Jim Hawkins's escapes from dangers. 

2 Jim Hawkins's cleverness in escaping dangers. 



200 ENGLISH 

3 Jim Hawkins's luck in escaping dangers. 

4 A paragraph answer telling whether his escapes 

were due to cleverness or to luck. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONS 

Analyze the following examination "questions," or any other ex- 
amination "questions" that you may have, and tell what sort of an- 
swers are expected: 

1 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a poem abounding in 

beautiful moonlight scenes. What are your reasons for 
believing the statement true, or false? 

2 What is the meaning of the following sentence? 

"The evil that men do lives after them; 
The good is oft interred with their bones.' ' 

3 It has been said that the various episodes in The Odyssey 

are attempts at scientific explanation of natural phe- 
nomena, clothed in the richness of the Greek imagina- 
tion. Write a well-organized paragraph on this topic, 
giving several illustrations from The Odyssey. 

4 Prove that gloom and mystery characterize Twice Told 

Tales. 

5 Describe a picture that an artist might make to illustrate 

Longfellow's King Robert of Sicily. 

6 Why do we admire the hero of Treasure Island? 

7 What was the effect of Sir Launfal's vision? 

8 What notable differences of character distinguish Ivanhoe 

and Athelstane ? 

9 Why do many readers of Ivanhoe admire Rebecca more 

than they admire Rowena? 
10 What are the characteristics of Quentin Durward? 

MAKE AN OUTLINE 

When you have analyzed the question, and have 
mentally made note of its parts, write down,— not on 
your examination paper, but on paper that you may 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 201 

afterward throw away, — an outline, or list, of the parts 
of the question. 

You have the following: 

Write about the advantages and the disadvantages of living in 
the time of Odysseus, and of living in the present time. 

You note these important points to include in your 
answer: 

1 The advantages of living in the time of Odysseus. 

2 The advantages of living in the present time. 

3 The disadvantages of living in the time of Odys- 

seus. 

4 The disadvantages of living in the present time. 

The fact that you note these points will keep you from 
forgetting to answer any important part of the question. 
At the same time, merely noting the points is not 
sufficient. Make a short outline of all that you wish 
to say. Your rough outline, written on scrap paper, 
will be somewhat as follows: 

I The advantages of living in the time of Odysseus. 

A. An outdoor life. 

B. Little monotony in life. 

C. Great opportunity for adventure. 

II The advantages of living in the present time. 

A. Comparative safety. 

B. Many opportunities for comfort. 

C. Many opportunities for personal advance- 

ment. 
Ill The disadvantages of living in the time of Odys- 
seus. 



202 ENGLISH 

A. The necessity of living in a crude way. 

B. Constant warfare. 
C Constant danger. 

IV The disadvantages of living in th$ present time. 

A. The necessity for monotonous work. 

B. A confining, indoor life. 

C. A sense of hurry. 

When you have made a rough outline, begin with con- 
fidence to write your formal answer. You know exactly 
what to write, and in what order to write. You may, 
therefore, pay considerable attention to the way in 
which you word your answer, and you may make it 
most effective. 

WRITE AN EXPRESSIVE FIRST SENTENCE 

Write the first sentence of your answer in such an 
expressive way that that first sentence will indicate 
your complete answer. Write your first sentence as 
though that one sentence were to be all that you will 
write. Do not waste words in writing an introduction 
to the question. Plunge at once into the very heart of 
the answer. 

First of all, in the beginning of your answer, repeat 
the words of the question. 

You are asked: 

"What qualities in the character of Benjamin Franklin, 
as shown in his Autobiography, made him a man whom so many 
admired ?" 

You repeat the words of the question as follows: 

"The qualities in the character of Benjamin Franklin, as 
shown in his Autobiography, that made him a man whom so 
many admired, are. . . ." 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 203 

After you have thus repeated the words of the ques- 
tion, add original material that will indicate the full 
scope of the answer that you are to give. In this case 
you add the words, " perseverance, great honesty, and 
a desire to benefit other people." Your entire first 
sentence then reads: 

"The qualities in the character of Benjamin Franklin, as 
shown in his Autobiography, that made him a man whom so 
many admired, are perseverance, great honesty, and a desire 
to benefit other people." 

The advantages of repeating the words of the ques- 
tion are: 

1 The act of writing down the words of the question 

makes it likely that you will not omit any 
important part of the answer. 

2 Repeating the words of the question makes you 

think about the question in just the way the 
writer of the question wishes you to think. 

3 When the examiner reads your paper he will see 

at once that you understood the question, and 
that you intended, at least in the beginning of 
your answer, to answer every part of the 
question. 

In writing your first sentence it is important to indi- 
cate the full scope of your answer in order that you may 
set your mind at work solving the question, and at work 
along all the lines of the question. If you indicate the 
full scope of your answer, you will not be likely to de- 
velop one part of the answer at the expense of other 
parts. You will write a fully developed answer, from 
which you will omit no main division. 



204 ENGLISH 

If you wrote as a first sentence the one given above, 
you would recognize three principal divisions, viz. : 

1 Franklin's perseverance. 

2 Franklin's honesty. 

3 Franklin's desire to benefit others. 

Develop these topics, one by one, in your answer. 
Give every topic its proper amount of space, omit no 
topic, and do all that you can to make your answer 
completely rounded. 

In writing a first, or topic sentence, in an examination 
answer, you have two things to do: 

1 Repeat the words of the question. 

2 Indicate every main part of the answer you are 

to write. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING TOPIC SENTENCES 

Write a first, or topic, sentence that will repeat the words of the 
question, and that will indicate at least three divisions for your answer 
to one of the following questions, or to any other examination question 
that you may have: 

1 How do the events that take place in As You Like It 

affect the character of the usurping Duke? 

2 What troubles did the wrath of Poseidon bring to Odys- 

seus? 

3 In what ways are Rosalind and Celia different in char- 

acter? 

4 Why do you like, or dislike, any one of Shakespeare's 

plays ? 

5 What were the principal events of the boyhood and early 

manhood of William Shakespeare? 

6 What are the chief characteristics of Edgar Allan Poe's 

short stories? 

7 What are the principal emotions aroused by a reading of 

Evangeline f 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 205 

8 What characterizes the poetry of Whittier? 

9 What was the Holy Grail? 

10 How can we practise what is taught in The Vision of Sir 
Launfal f 

ANSWER SECTION BY SECTION 

In your first sentence you repeat the words of the 
question, and you indicate the full scope of your answer. 
After you have written your first sentence, write on the 
topics you named in that sentence. Take up the topics 
in the order in which you gave them in your first 
sentence. 

In your first sentence concerning Franklin, you write: 
" perseverance, honesty, and a desire to benefit others." 
Write first about Franklin's perseverance; second, about 
Franklin's honesty, and third, about Franklin's desire 
to benefit others. 

You will be more likely to write a good answer, if you 
write a full paragraph for every principal topic that you 
name in your first sentence. By writing a paragraph 
for every principal topic, you will develop every topic 
to its full value. You will make your thought entirely 
clear. 

If you plan to devote an entire paragraph to every 
principal section of your answer, do not name too many 
principal topics in your first sentence. The time for 
writing any examination paper is limited. If you plan 
to write long answers, you will be obliged to hurry. 
You may spend so much time on one question, or on 
one or two questions, that you will not have enough 
time left in which to answer other questions. 

You will seldom find it wise to name more than five 



206 ENGLISH 

principal topics in your first sentence. As a rule, three 
topics are a suitable number for any examination 
question. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING PARTS OF A QUESTION 

Write a first sentence that will repeat the words of one of the follow- 
ing examination questions, or of any other examination question that 
you may have, — and that will indicate the parts of your answer. Then 
write the paragraphs called for by the principal divisions you make in 
your first sentence. 

1 For what did the Indians admire Hiawatha? 

2 What was LowelPs purpose in writing The Vision of Sir 

Launfal f 

3 What differences do you notice between the poetry of 

Whittier and the poetry of Longfellow? 

4 How does a play by Shakespeare differ from a modern 

play? 

5 What reasons lead you to admire some modern novel that 

you have read recently? 

6 What striking, or dramatic elements, appear in the story 

of Joseph and His Brethren f 

7 What effects does Poe produce in The Bells ? 

8 On what sort of subjects are most of Hawthorne's stories 

written? 

9 In what ways are the stories by Irving, by Hawthorne, 

and by Poe somewhat alike? 
10 Why is Rip Van Winkle such a popular story? 

SUMMARIZE YOUR ANSWER 

After you have developed every main topic of your 
answer in accordance with the topics indicated in your 
first sentence, summarize the principal points made. If 
you have developed your answer in a series of para- 
graphs, and have written a paragraph for every impor- 
tant part of the answer, write another paragraph for 
summary or for emphasis. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 207 

Do not write a long summarizing paragraph. Do 
not repeat details. Write what will emphasize your 
thought. In most answers if you write a single summa- 
rizing sentence it will be sufficient. 

Your sentence in summary of your answer concern- 
ing Franklin might read: "Thus it is evident that 
Franklin's remarkable perseverance, great honesty, 
and his constant desire to benefit other people, made 
him a man whom all admired." 

Your summarizing sentence brings your answer to a 
well-rounded close, and centres your own attention, 
as well as your reader's, on the points named in your 
first sentence. The summarizing sentence helps you 
to make certain that you have answered every part of 
the question just as you intended to answer it when you 
began to write. It is a check upon yourself. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING SUMMARIZING SENTENCES 

Write summarizing sentences for any of the answers called for in 
Exercise 2, or in the following questions: 

1 In what ways did Washington Irving's boyhood prefigure 

his later career? 

2 What are the theories concerning the writing of The Odys- 

sey? 

3 What was the character of Robinson Crusoe? 

4 What changes took place in the countenance of the Ancient 

Mariner while he was telling his story? 

5 What led to the writing of Pilgrim 1 s Progress? 

6 What real persons are mentioned in The Deserted Village? 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A LETTER CONCERNING THE WRITING OF 
EXAMINATION ANSWERS 

Imagine that a friend has written to you saying that he is about to 
take a difficult examination in literature. Write to him telling him how 
to plan his answers. 



LESSON XXV 

INVESTIGATING 
IT IS NOT EASY TO FIND INFORMATION 

"I can't find anything about it. I don't know where 
to look." So says pupil after pupil in the classroom. 

How hard it is to find information about certain 
subjects! You wish that you had a single book in 
which you could find everything. 

All through life you will ha^e to make investigations, 
and you will be annoyed by the difficulty of finding 
information. You will be successful in accordance 
with your ability to master that difficulty. 

GAIN FIRST-HAND INFORMATION 

Whatever you wish to learn, whether it be important 
or unimportant, gain reliable, first-hand information. 
See for yourself, if possible; go to those who know the 
truth, and consult authoritative printed information. 

CULTIVATE YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION 

First of all, cultivate all your powers of observation. 
Learn to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste in a way that 
will give you accurate information. A naturalist cul- 
tivates the power to see accurately; a musician has 
sensitive hearing; an expert in perfumes recognizes 
even the faintest odors; a blind person has delicate 

208 






ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 209 

touch, and a professional tea-taster has unusual sense 
of taste. Cultivate your own five senses so that they 
will serve you accurately. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: A TEST OF SIGHT 

1 Read the two paragraphs that follow, and see how many differ- 
ences there are between the two. The pupils who most quickly find 
the greatest number of differences see most quickly and most accurately. 

SHORT STORY CLUB HAS SHORT STORY CLUB HAS 

UNUSUAL PROGRAM UNUSUAL WORK 

The writing of a complete The writing of a serial story, 

serial story, The Debt, is the un- "The Debt," is the unusual 

usual program of the Short Story spring term work of the Short 

Club for the spring semester. Story Club. Mr. Hathaway, 

Mr. Hathaway, a well-known the faculty adviser, assigned to 

short story writer, gave the bare the various members the task of 

facts for every episode. On Tues- writing the episodes, after he had 

day, March 1, at the last meeting given the bare facts. Last Tues- 

held, Walter Simpson read the day, March 8, Walter Simpson 

first episode of the serial. With read the first episode of the 

the exception of calling attention serial. His work was criticised 

to a few errors, Mr. Hathaway's favorably by Mr. Hathaway, 

criticism was most favorable. If who pointed out only a few 

the assignments are kept, the errors. It is expected that the 

serial will be completed in April, serial will be completed in April. 

2 The teacher will exhibit to the class, during a minute or two only, 
a large picture, or a somewhat complicated object, or a number of small 
articles. The pupils who can write most accurately about what was 
exhibited, have quick eyesight and good memory. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: A TEST OF HEARING 

The teacher will read to the class a poem less than twenty-five lines 
long, or a very short prose article from a periodical. As soon as the 
teacher has concluded the reading, the members of the class will write 
what they heard, writing as full and as truthful reproductions as possi- 
ble. The pupils who write the most accurate reports of what the teacher 
read have good hearing and good memory. 



210 



ENGLISH 



3 ORAL EXERCISE: A TEST OF SMELL 

Can you recognize, by smell alone, the following substances? The 
teacher, or any member of the class, may prepare unlabelled, paper- 
covered bottles containing what is named in the list, or containing any 
other familiar substances that give agreeable odor. The pupils who 
recognize the greatest number of substances have keen sense of smell 
and good memory. 



1 


Ground coffee 


11 


Bay rum 


2 


Tea leaves 


12 


Spearmint 


3 


Vinegar 


13 


Geranium leaves 


4 


Kerosene 


14 


Menthol 


5 


Cloves 


15 


Lemon juice 


6 


Vanilla 


16 


Balsam needles 


7 


Camphor 


17 


Orange skin 


8 


Wintergreen 


18 


Attar of rose 


9 


Laundry soap 


19 


Lavender flowers 


10 


Peppermint 


20 


Cinnamon 




4 ORAL EXERCISE 


: A TEST OF TOUCH 



Can you recognize, by the sense of touch, the objects named below? 
The teacher may prepare a box into which a pupil may place his hand 
without seeing the contents. The pupils who can identify most of the 
objects have keen sense of touch and good memory. 



1 


Cotton 


11 


Flannel 


2 


Corduroy 


12 


Leather 


3 


Woollen 


13 


Rubber 


4 


Canvas 


14 


Paper 


5 


Velvet 


15 


Wood 


6 


Bilk 


16 


Soapstone 


7 


Tapestry 


17 


Coal 


8 


Satin 


18 


Iron 


9 


Burlap 


19 


Lead 


10 


Buckram 


20 


Tin 




5 


ORAL EXERCISE: A TEST OF TASTE 



Can you recognize, by the sense of taste, the substances named below ? 
The teacher may bring to class a number of unlabelled packages, and 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



211 



ask the pupils to identify the contents by the sense of taste. The 
pupils who can identify a great number of articles have keen sense of 
taste and good memory. 



1 Tea 

2 Coffee 

3 Sugar 

4 Salt 

5 Flour 

6 Chocolate 

7 Mustard 

8 Pepper 

9 Cinnamon 
10 Cocoanut 



11 Caraway 

12 Peppermint 

13 Sage 

14 Licorice 

15 Nutmeg 

16 Spearmint 

17 Peanuts 

18 Cheese 

19 Sassafras 

20 Cloves 



When you have cultivated your natural powers of 
sense-observation you will be well prepared to make any 
investigation. 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: USING THE FIVE SENSES 

What powers of observation must the following people cultivate in 
order to be successful in their work? 



9 
10 



An astronomer 11 

A musician 12 

A druggist 13 

A cabinetmaker 14 

A physician 15 

A baker 16 

A painter 17 

An engraver 18 

A telephone operator 19 

A stenographer 20 



A cook 
An artist 
An architect 
A paper hanger 
A dressmaker 
A grocer 
A reporter 
A messenger boy 
A detective 
A house painter 



FOLLOW ALL LINES OF INQUIRY 

When you make any investigation, talk with a num- 
ber of people. Interview people in the way explained 
in Lesson XXIX. Listen in the way explained in 



212 ENGLISH 

Lesson XXVIII. Be eager to learn the opinions of dif- 
ferent kinds of people, for you must not make investi- 
gation one-sided. 

Follow the lines of inquiry that different people 
suggest, and do not leave any line unexplored. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING AN INVESTIGATION 

Make an investigation of one of the following subjects. Use your own 
powers of observation, and talk with people who have information on 
the subject. Write your report very clearly. 

1 New buildings about to be erected in your neighbor- 

hood. 

2 Street improvements soon to be made. 

3 Coming events of public importance. 

4 Important anniversaries. 

5 Recent transportation changes. 

6 Business changes in your neighborhood. 

7 Recent changes in the school course of study. 

8 Additions to the school library. 

9 The matters of current interest that most interest the 

people of your neighborhood. 
10 The number of young people in your neighborhood who 
do not attend school. 

USE REFERENCE MATERIAL 
On many subjects you can find information only by 
making reference to what has been printed. The best 
place in which to find printed information is a good 
library. Make yourself familiar with the library 
nearest your home, and with the library nearest your 
school. 

Learn to make use of the following books: 

1 Webster 1 s New International Dictionary. 

2 The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 213 

3 A Standard Dictionary. 

4 The New International Encyclopaedia. 

5 The Encyclopaedia Britannica. 

6 The Century Dictionary of Proper Names. 

7 The Century Atlas. 

8 Fernald's English Synonyms and Antonyms. 

9 Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. 

10 Brewer's Reader's Handbook. 

11 The Readers' Guide. 

12 Warner's Library of the World's Best Literature. 

13 Harper's Book of Facts. 

14 Robert's Revised Rules of Order. 

15 The . World Almanac. 

16 The American Year Book. 

17 The Statesman's Year Book. 

18 The New York Times Index. 

19 Official and Government Reports. 

20 Files of Periodicals. 

TAKE FULL NOTES 

When you consult reference books, take full notes. 
Read over what you have written, and check your notes 
for correctness. Record the title of the book in which 
you found information, the name of the author, and the 
pages on which the information is given. Later, you 
can use your notes as a basis for writing a full report. 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING USE OF REFERENCE BOOKS 

Go to the nearest library and find accurate information on the sub- 
jects named below. Write, in your own words, a full report of what you 
learned. Name the work in which you found the information. 

1 The founding of the place in which you live. 

2 The school life of George Washington. 

3 Lincoln's beliefs concerning slavery. 

4 General Grant's service in the Mexican War. 

5 Why a pawnbroker's sign has three golden balls. 



214 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

6 Why a barber's pole is striped. 

7 Shakespeare as the owner of theatres. 

8 The origin of the word "dunce." 

9 The history of the potato as an article of food. 

10 Grammar, as a school study. 

11 The boundaries of Paraguay. 

12 Simplified spelling. 

13 The origins of the names of our States. 

14 Irrigation in the United States. 

15 The work of the United States in the World War. 

16 Words that can be used in place of the word " excited." 

17 William Cullen Bryant's work as an editor. 

18 Captain Kidd. 

19 The Buccaneers. 

20 Irving's work as a historian. 

21 The first newspaper. 

22 The King Arthur of history. 

23 The sources of The Merchant of Venice. 

24 The making of rugs. 

25 Teachers who attained the presidency of the United 

States. 

26 American volcanoes. 

27 Harmless snakes. 

28 The Louisiana Purchase. 

29 The manufacture of shoes in the United States. 

30 The largest telescope. 

31 Unusual bridges. 

32 The origin of the names of American cities. 

33 The effect of Greek architecture on American building. 

34 The invention of eye-glasses. 

35 How illuminating gas is manufactured. 

36 The origin of forks. 

37 Why men have buttons on their coat sleeves. 

38 The proportion of classical words in the English language. 

39 How a dictionary is made. 

40 The number of high school students in the United States, 

41 The manufacture of lead-pencils. 



LESSON XXVI 

GIVING INFORMATION 

PEOPLE ASK US MANY QUESTIONS 

" Where is the game going to be?" 

"When do we have to hand in our note-books?" 

"Why do we have to go so early?" 

"How can I get the right wood for a canoe?" 

Every day people ask us questions. From the time 
when we come to breakfast in the morning, throughout 
the day, and until we go to sleep at night, we find our- 
selves answering questions. Every one of us has a 
world of information that other people wish to learn. 
Usually we can answer most questions quickly, — 
sometimes with a nod or a gesture, — sometimes with a 
single word. At other times we must answer at greater 
length. 

In nearly every case a request for information begins 
with "who?" or "what?" or with one of the follow- 
ing words: 

When? 

Where? 

How? 

Why? 

Usually, when we answer "who?" or "what?" we 
make short, clear answers, or at once add sufficient de- 
tails to make our answers clear. In answering the 
other questions we often fail to speak or write clearly. 

215 



216 ENGLISH 

BE STRICTLY ACCURATE IN ANSWERING "WHEN?" 

At first thought it seems easy to answer the ques- 
tion "When?" It is so easy to say, "At eight o'clock," 
or "On Wednesday," or "Some time next June," or 
"In two years," — and yet, on examining such answers, 
you can see that they may not be at all clear. If you 
answer simply, "At eight o'clock," you do not tell on 
what date at eight o'clock. It is evident that it is 
necessary to be as precise as possible in answering the 
question "When?" 

Tell your questioner whether you mean forenoon or 
afternoon, what day of the week you mean, and what 
day of the month. Sometimes you should add also 
the year that you have in mind. 

Under no circumstances leave your questioner in 
doubt. Give all the information that he can possibly 
need. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ANSWERING THE QUESTION "WHEN?" 

Imagine that you have received letters asking the questions given 
below, or asking other "when" questions that you invent. Write the 
answers in formal, or in friendly letters, as the occasion may demand. 
Give all the information that is necessary. 

1 Please tell me when the next meeting of the Debating 

Society will take place. 

2 What is the date this year for graduation exercises in your 

school ? 

3 When will you be ready to enter college ? 

4 How long ago was your school founded? 

5 How old is the city in which you live? 

BE EQUALLY ACCURATE IN ANSWERING "WHERE?" 

The answer to the question "Where?" is almost as 
easy to give as the answer to the question "When?" 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 217 

You may answer briefly, but you must be painstakingly 
accurate. 

Name not only the place of an event, but also other 
details, when necessary, such as the building, the floor, 
and the room. Use such words as: 

In front Beside 

Behind At the right 

Before At the left 

In In the foreground 

Out In the background 

Outside Diagonally across 

Up In a circle 

Down Opposite 

Over Down 

Across Back 

Between At the side 

Under Within 

Use any other expressions that will aid in establishing 
location. Be so clear that your reader cannot possibly 
misunderstand you, — no matter how rapidly or how 
carelessly he may read what you write. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ANSWERING THE QUESTION "WHERE?" 

Imagine that you have received letters asking you the questions 
given below, or asking other "where" questions that you invent. 
Write the answers in formal, or in friendly letters, as the occasion may 
demand: 

1 In what part of the building is the room in which you will 

be at half past ten? 

2 Where is your athletic field? 

3 Where is the house in which you live ? 

4 Where is the best place for a picnic ? 

5 In what part of the town is your school located ? 



218 ENGLISH 

BE SYSTEMATIC IN ANSWERING "HOW?" 

"How" is a word that we hear many times a day. 
Sometimes it is easy to answer questions that begin 
with "how," and sometimes it is exceedingly difficult. 
"How can I learn what sort of armor the Crusaders 
wore?" "How can I make a box kite?" "How do 
you set up a wireless outfit?" "How shall we arrange 
the exhibit?" "How do you use a lathe?" 

The following directions will help you to answer the 
question "How?" 

1 Begin your answer by writing a clear general state- 

ment or topic sentence that will indicate the plan 

of all that you will say. 

Suppose some one asks: "How can I learn to 
typewrite by touch?" 

You may begin your answer with a general 
statement, or topic sentence, somewhat as follows : 

"In learning to typewrite by touch it is neces- 
sary, first of all, to master the keyboard of the 
typewriter." After this sentence you can give 
the details that will aid one in mastering the key- 
board of a typewriter and, in this way, of learning 
to write by the touch system. 

2 Give a definite example that your reader will under- 

stand. 

Suppose some one asks: "How can I arrange 
the books so that they will attract attention?" 

You may begin your answer somewhat as 
follows : 

"Put the books on the table so that the most 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 219 

attractive books will catch the eyes of those who 
happen to pass by. For example, it would be 
well to select the largest books and the brightest 
colored books first, and to place them in the most 
conspicuous position/' 

After this write other general directions, or 
other more detailed directions that you give as 
examples of what may be done, rather than as 
actual directions what to do. 

3 , Present a picture that will aid you in answering the 

question "How?". 

The directions the manufacturers give with 
any mechanical apparatus almost always include 
pictures that show just how any one should 
proceed in using the apparatus. 

4 Draw a diagram, or make a plan of some sort, that 
will illustrate what you say in answering the 
question "How?" 

If you attempt to tell any one of the movements 
of football players during a game of football you 
will find it best to do as the newspapers do, 
and present a plan of the football field, showing 
on the plan the movements made at any particu- 
lar stage of the play. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ANSWERING THE QUESTION "HOW?" 

Write two or three paragraphs in answer to one of the following ques- 
tions, or in answer to any other "how" question that you invent. 

1 How can I make a figure-four trap? 

2 How can I go from here to the scene of Treasure Island? 

3 How can I write the most effective short story? 



220 ENGLISH 

4 How can I learn how to use a pantograph? 

5 How should I catalogue a small library? 

6 How can I put things in my store window so that they will 

attract most attention? 

7 How can I hang a curtain for our school play? 

8 How can I build an attractive bird house? 

9 How do you wish me to set the plants? 

10 How do the valves of an automobile work? 



EMPHASIZE CAUSE OR EFFECT IN ANSWERING THE 
QUESTION "WHY?" 

The question "Why?" is sometimes even more 
puzzling than the question "How?" It is much easier 
to tell some one how to make a trap, how to hang a 
curtain, or how to set out plants, than it is to tell why 
it rains, why the moon changes, or why baseball is more 
popular or less popular than football. 

In general, there are two methods of answering the 
question "Why?" You may tell the result first and 
then the cause; or you may tell the cause first and then 
the result. 

Here is an example of telling the result first and the 
cause last: 

The dual swimming meet scheduled for last Saturday with 
Norton Academy at Nortonstown, was postponed because the 
members of the Norton team missed their train. 

Here is an example of telling the cause first and the 
result last: 

Because the members of the Norton team missed their train, 
the dual swimming meet scheduled for last Saturday with Nor- 
ton Academy at Nortonstown was postponed. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 221 

In writing a paragraph, as well as in writing a sen- 
tence, you may employ either of these methods. In 
the following paragraph the statement of result is 
given first and the statement of cause last: 

The field-day was a great success in every way. Nearly 
every pupil of the school was present. The games were run off 
without a hitch. The decisions were uncontested. There was 
a spirit of order and fair play, and every one had a good time. 
All this resulted from the careful planning of the committee 
in charge, and especially from the fact that every one had been 
told well in advance just what he was expected to do. 

In the following paragraph from a school paper the 
statement of cause is given first and the statement of 
result last: 

"Wending its way over hill and valley, city and woodland, 
approaching slowly but surely, — undaunted by the cold mists 
that treacherous April sheds around, — comes the month of May. 
The very name awakens within us a gladness, and pictures to 
us the awakening of nature, and the starting of all things into 
new life and vigor. We find the hills carpeted with soft green 
grass. The buds cast off their sombre coats. The birds join 
in a chorus of welcome. No less are we ourselves affected by 
the arrival of spring. Our dress, our minds, and our ambitions 
take a new start." 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING THE RESULT FIRST 

Write a short answer to one of the following questions, or to any 
other "why" question that you invent. Begin your answer with a 
statement of result, and then tell the cause. 

1 Why does salt aid in the freezing of ice cream? 

2 Why does a match light when you scratch it on a rough 

surface ? 

3 Why does the tide rise and fall at regular intervals? 

4 Why does the evening star appear before other stars do? 



222 ENGLISH 

5 Why does the spider make a geometrical web? 

6 Why does the honey-bee make a six-sided cell for honey? 

7 Why does the frost make pictures on the window-pane? 

8 Why are the clouds sometimes brightly colored? 

9 Why is the rainbow curved? 
10 Why do glasses aid the sight? 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING THE CAUSE FIRST 

Write a short answer to one of the following questions, or to any 
other "why" question that you invent. Begin your answer with a 
statement of cause, and then tell the result. 

1 Why is the fur of so many arctic animals white? 

2 Why does an electric light give more satisfactory illu- 

mination than a kerosene light? 

3 Why does milk sometimes sour during a thunder-storm? 

4 Why does exercise benefit the body? 

5 Why does "practice make perfect"? 

6 Why does salt melt ice on the sidewalk? 

7 Why do not all automobiles use light oil? 

8 Why do cyclones occur more frequently in the west than 

in the east? 

9 Why does lightning appear in zigzag lines? 
10 Why will a needle float in a glass of water? 

ESTABLISH FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTIONS FIRST 

Frequently people ask you to tell the meaning of a 
passage of prose or of verse, or to give some other 
explanation that you cannot answer so definitely as you 
can answer most questions that begin with "When?" 
"Where?" "How?" and "Why?" 

Such a question is the following: 

What is the meaning of the following passage from Lowell's 
The Vision of Sir Launfal f 

"The little brook heard it and built a roof 
'Neath which he could house him, winterproof ; 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 223 

All night by the white stars' frosty gleams 
He groined his arches and matched his beams; 
Slender and clear were his crystal spars 
As the lashes of light that trim the stars." 

You can answer this question satisfactorily if you 
explain first the fundamental conception, and then ex- 
plain the details that support it. 

In the first place, make it clear that the brook is 
thought of as a person, and that this person is said to be 
building a house in which he may five during the winter. 

When you have established this fundamental con- 
ception explain the details that support it. Say that 
the ice over a frozen brook is like the roof over a house; 
that in wintertime even the light of the stars seems 
cold and frosty; that chance formations of ice some- 
times resemble arches and beams; that the ice crys- 
tals, or "spars," are frequently as slender as the lines 
of light that seem to come from the stars on a cold 
sparkling night. 

When you are asked to give an explanation of any 
sort, establish first the fundamental conception on which 
everything depends. Make your first sentence present 
emphatically the central thought that you are to empha- 
size. 

You may also begin by giving details and end by 
presenting the principal thought. Nevertheless, you 
are far more likely to succeed if you establish the funda- 
mental conception or thought first. 

DEFINE WORDS 

Of course you cannot convey information unless your 
reader understands the words that you use. Choose 



224 ENGLISH 

your words carefully. Sometimes you will have to 
define words. When you do that, always give the defi- 
nitions in terms familiar to the reader. Sometimes you 
need do little more than express the thought in familiar 
words — in a paraphrase. 

"The druid wood 
Waits with its benedicite," — that is, 

" The priest-like forest waits with its blessing." 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE : ESTABLISHING FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTIONS 

Write an explanation that will emphasize the meaning of the itali- 
cized words in one of the following: 

1 This is the forest primeval. 

2 " Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: 

England hath need of thee: she is a fen of stagnant waters" 

3 Once upon a midnight dreary, 
While I pondered, weak and weary, 

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. 

4 The bride hath paced into the hall, 
Red as a rose is she; 

Nodding their heads before her goes 
The merry minstrelsy. 

5 Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget 
What thou among the leaves hast never known, 
The weariness, the fever, and the fret 

Here, where men sit and hear each other groan. 

In general, when you give people information, do 
everything in your power to make yourself clear. 

You cannot give information clearly unless you under- 
stand the subject on which you are to talk or write. If 
you do not know the information, say simply and hon- 
estly: " I don't know.' ' If you do know it, begin your 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 225 

answer by giving a clear general statement, or topic 
sentence, that will indicate the general nature of all 
that you will say. If you do that, in nine times out of 
ten you will satisfy the person who asks you the ques- 
tion. 

You will please him still more, — and you will make 
yourself all the more clear, — if you add details in sup- 
port of what you have said; or if you give examples, or 
if you present pictures, diagrams, or plans. 

In any case, answer in accordance with a definite 
plan made before you begin your answer. Think first 
and then speak or write. 

7 ORAL EXERCISE: GIVING INFORMATION 
What is the meaning of every one of the following selections: 

"In his own verse the poet still we find, 
In his own page his memory lives enshrined, 
As in their amber sweets the smothered bees— 
As the fair cedar, fallen before the breeze, 
Lies self-embalmed amidst mouldering trees." 

— Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

"But the nearer the dawn, the darker the night, 
And by going wrong all things come right; 
Things have been mended that were worse, 
And the worse, the nearer they are to mend." 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

"The busy world shoves angrily aside 
The man who stands with arms akimbo set, 
Until occasion tell him what to do; 
And he who waits to have his task marked out, 
Shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled." 

— James Russell Lowell. 






LESSON XXVII 

TELLING A BIT OF HISTORY 
EVERY ONE IS A HISTORIAN 

Sometimes people ask you such questions as these: 

"Did your football team have a good season last year?" 
"Your society is a very old society, isn't it? When was it 

first organized?" 

"The place has changed a good deal, hasn't it? Do you 

remember how it used to be?" 

In every case you answer briefly. If the subject is 
interesting, your questioner asks further questions 
until, little by little, he leads you to tell the whole story. 

Sometimes the "Editor" of a school paper asks pupils 
to write for publication something concerning the his- 
tory of a class, of a club, or of the school. 

You will do well to follow certain principles in telling 
the history of anything, whether it be the history of a 
football team during a single season, or the history of a 
school through a period of many years. 

TELL THE TRUTH 

First of all, — tell the truth. Base all that you say 
on first-hand evidence. If you are to write on a school 
subject, question people; search the files of school 
papers; study the records of the Board of Education; 

226 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 227 

examine public reports, and do all that you can to 
learn the facts. If you are to write on a general sub- 
ject consult libraries for reference material, such as 
encyclopaedias and special works of reference, and go 
to any sources of first-hand information. When Fran- 
cis Parkman, the historian, wished to learn about the 
American Indians he spent some months living with 
Indians in order to learn the facts concerning them. 
The more you cultivate the ability to find and to use 
sources of information, the better able you will be to 
write history, — even though it be only the history of 
your class to be published in your school annual. 

NAME THE REASONS FOR PRESENT INTEREST 

In beginning to tell a bit of history, tell simply and 
frankly the reasons why people have present interest 
in your subject. 

Perhaps the football team has had a most victorious 
season, and you wish to write an article about the team 
and its work. In that case you might begin as follows: 

The fact that our team this year won victory after victory, 
and finally succeeded in bringing to the school the champion- 
ship of the Interscholastic League, makes it worth while to 
consider the history of our team during the present season. 

Your first object is to interest your reader in your 
subject so that he will have somewhat the same feeling 
toward it that you have. Give him the information 
that is necessary to a full understanding of the subject. 
Give him all the reasons that you have for being inter- 
ested or enthusiastic. Make him feel a personal 
interest in the subject. 



228 ENGLISH 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO PRESENT INTEREST 

Write a paragraph giving reasons for present interest in one of the 
following subjects for a historical sketch: 

1 Our history in baseball 6 Our work in debating 

2 Our history in basket-ball 7 The history of our school 

3 The history of our school library 

paper 8 The history of our class 

4 Gymnasium work in our 9 The history of our school 

school 10 The history of our city 

5 The history of our athletic 11 The history of my house 

field 12 The history of my family 

EMPHASIZE ONE PRINCIPAL POINT 

When you have once given your readers reasons for 
having personal interest in the subject whose history 
you are to relate, tell them immediately the principal 
point that you wish to emphasize. If your bit of 
history is going to be worth anything at all, it will have 
a principal point. It will not be an empty, bare, and 
meaningless record of events. It will place constant 
emphasis on something that is important. 

Suppose you are writing a little of the history of the 
valley where you live. Your important main fact 
might be that the valley was cut out by a glacier, — a 
river of ice. If that is so, you might begin your history 
as follows: 

This year our valley has been more beautiful than ever before. 
In the spring the leaves were thick upon the trees and the fields 
were beautiful with grass. In the summer there was an air of 
comfort and happiness everywhere. In the autumn there was 
a wonderful medley of colors. In the winter, the whole valley 
was clothed in white. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 229 

But this valley did not always change from the green of 
spring, through the warmth of summer, to the beautiful colors 
of autumn. Once it knew nothing but winter, — and the valley 
itself is nothing but a product of winter. It was carved by a 
great river of ice. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING A PRINCIPAL POINT 

What principal point might you emphasize in telling one of the his- 
tories suggested below: 

1 Dramatic work in our school 7 Our region in the time of the 

2 Our hockey team Indians 

3 The making of our tennis- 8 The story of a tin can 

courts 9 The history of an apple 

4 The history of a ton of coal 10 The history of a farm 

5 The history of a country 11 The history of a stone wall 

road 12 The history of an elm-tree 

6 The story of an old cemetery 13 The history of a toy 

EMPHASIZE THE CHARACTER OF GREAT LEADERS 

In writing the history of anything with which human 
beings have been connected, you will find that the 
character of the great leaders is of much importance. 
Devote considerable space to the work, the purposes, 
and the accomplishments of the first great leaders, and 
devote much space also to the character of those who 
followed them in carrying on the work. In any history 
of the United States you will find much concerning the 
character of the colonists, and especially concerning 
the character of George Washington and his associates 
in the days of the American Revolution. You will find 
much also concerning the character of those who fol- 
lowed Washington, — the great leaders like Alexander 
Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay, Daniel 



230 ENGLISH 

Webster, Abraham Lincoln, and other patriots. Em- 
ploy the same principle when you write the history of 
anything with which human beings have been con- 
nected. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO CHARACTER INTEREST 

Imagine that you are going to write in full one of the historical 
sketches indicated below. As part of your history, write a paragraph 
or two in which you speak of the character of the leaders. 

1 The history of our school 7 The history of prison reform 

faculty 8 The history of watch making 

2 Public speaking in our school 9 The history of astronomy 

3 The history of a bridge 10 The history of our leading 

4 The history of algebra literary society 

5 The history of the Salvation 11 The history of our county 

Army 12 The history of our State 

6 The history of the Red Cross 13 The history of a ship 

POINT OUT THE CAUSES OF EVENTS 

The story of the Civil War in the United States is in 
itself a remarkable story, but no one can well under- 
stand the high purposes and the noble aims that ani- 
mated the men who took part in that great war, unless 
he knows something concerning the great questions of 
slavery, of commercial growth and sectional rivalry, 
that led to the Civil War. In the light of its great 
causes the Civil War takes on new colors and be- 
comes a far more entrancing story. When you write 
the history of anything try to include some mention, 
at least, of the causes that led to the events that you 
narrate. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 231 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING THE CAUSES OF EVENTS 

Write two or three paragraphs in which you present the causes that 
led to any of the events named below: 

1 The writing of our school 6 The founding of our town 

songs 7 The making of our present 

2 The establishment of our course of study 

Art Department 8 The discovery of coal 

3 The building of our leading 9 The World War 

highway 10 The discovery of America 

4 The erection of our school- 11 The invention of the air- 

house plane 

5 The founding of our Alumni 12 The use of electricity 

Association 



EMPHASIZE THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS 

In writing any history you must leave out many 
minor events that you could record. Since you do not 
wish to confuse your reader by giving him too many de- 
tails, you will include only those that are most notable, 
— those that stand out from all the rest with peculiar 
significance. In telling the history of the World War, 
it would be quite impossible to record in any one volume 
the full story of all engagements. It is possible to se- 
lect certain significant engagements, such as those at 
the Marne or Verdun, or certain significant series of 
events, such as the first German advance into France, 
or the battles in the Argonne. 

If you select great events wisely you will be able to 
include in your history a number of minor events 
closely related to the great events. At the same time 
you will preserve unity and emphasis. 



232 ENGLISH 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING PRINCIPAL EVENTS 

Tell what principal events you would emphasize in writing one of 
the following historical sketches: 

1 The story of music in our 8 The history of our tennis 

school team 

2 The history of our gun club 9 The history of our school 

3 The present school term songs 

4 The history of the county in 10 The history of our school 

which I live exhibitions 

5 The history of a schoolroom 11 The story of a piece of chalk 

6 The history of our prize 12 The story of the making of 

contests steel 

7 The history of a violin 13 The history of a farm 

DO NOT GIVE DRY DETAILS 

In writing any historical sketch give the dates of 
important events, and name the places where the events 
occurred. Remember that dates and names are dry 
details. A historical sketch filled with dates and with 
the names of places is not interesting. Give dates, 
and name places, only when they will make your story 
clear, interesting, and emphatic. 

EMPHASIZE THE RESULTS OF ACTION 

In speaking of any historical event, speak emphati- 
cally of results. Every past event, no matter how dis- 
tant in time, produced an effect that the world still 
feels. You can speak of the effect felt in the past; 
the effect felt in the present, or the effect that may be 
felt in the future. The immediate effects of the Ameri- 
can Revolution were to plunge the country into con- 
fusion, anxiety, and sorrow. A little later the effects 
were joy and pride in a newly established republic. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 233 

To-day the effects of the American Revolution are 
felt in the unity, the independence, the power, and the 
progressive spirit of the United States. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING RESULTS OF ACTION 

Write a paragraph in which you answer any one of the following 
questions: 

1 What effects of the World War do the people of the United 

States observe at the present time? 

2 What were the immediate effects of John Brown's raid? 

3 What future results are indicated by any events that are 

now taking place? 

4 What results did your school gain in last year's football 

season ? 

5 What results for the future are promised by the present 

work of your school? 

6 What results may be expected from the present track work 

in your school ? 

7 What definite results of careful training or preparation have 

you observed in your school? 

8 What have been the results of the invention of the auto- 

mobile ? 

9 What benefits does military training confer? 

10 What are the advantages of wide reading? 

11 What is the value of gaining a knowledge of foreign lan- 

guages? 

12 What is the advantage of owning a school athletic field? 

13 What benefits may a school gain by instituting a General 

Organization ? 

14 What is the value of interschool debates? 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A LETTER NARRATING HISTORY 

Imagine that you have received a letter from a high school principal 
in a distant city, asking you to tell him the history of your class, or of 
your school paper. Write a letter that will give him a resume of the 
principal points worth mentioning. 



LESSON XXVIII 

LISTENING 
FEW PEOPLE LISTEN WELL 

"They have ears, but they hear not" can be said of 
many people, for few know how to listen well. Few 
people can hear a public speech, — a commencement 
address, or a lecture, — and afterward tell what they 
heard. 

DIRECTIONS FOR LISTENING 

Three general directions for good listening will aid 
you to report correctly what you hear in a classroom, 
in a lecture-hall, or during an interview. 

1 Listen so attentively that you can summarize the 

thought in a single sentence. 

2 Listen so attentively that you can write in sen- 

tence form the three or four principal points, 
and the three or four supporting points given 
in connection with every principal point. 

3 Listen so attentively that you can give, practi- 

cally in the speaker's words, a single passage 
that will illustrate the thought, the style, the 
humor, or any other notable characteristic. 

WRITE A SUMMARIZING SENTENCE 

If you listen carefully to any speaker you will notice 
that he tries to present one strong, central thought. 
Even if the speaker does not announce that thought in 
the form of a single sentence, you can write it in a 

234 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 235 

sentence, corresponding to the summarizing sentence, 
in which you present the feature of a news article. 

When you write the report of a speech, write a 
summarizing sentence of what the speaker said. 

"At no time have we had a larger number of candidates, a 
more enthusiastic captain, or a better coach. The work of the 
team this year will be most successful." 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FINDING THE PRINCIPAL THOUGHT 

1 In every class period during the present week, note down the 
principal thought that every teacher endeavors to present during a 
single period. 

2 Listen to any public speaker. Then write a single sentence that 
will tell the principal thought of his speech. 

WRITE A SENTENCE FOR EVERY STRONG SUPPORTING 
THOUGHT 

In every recitation period, and in every public speech, 
you will notice, if you listen attentively, three or four 
subordinate points that support the central point. 
Write a single sentence for every subordinate point, 
and you will have a brief of what was said. You will 
then be able to write a complete report of the recitation 
or of the speech. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FINDING SUPPORTING THOUGHTS 

1 In every class period during the present week, write not only a 
single sentence fdr the principal thought that the teacher presents, but 
also a single sentence for every supporting point that tends to establish 
the truth of the principal thought. Number all the subordinate sen- 
tences as though you were writing a brief. 

2 Listen to any public speaker. Then write a single sentence that 
will tell the central thought of his speech, and a single sentence for every 
one of the three or four supporting thoughts that uphold his principal 
proposition. 



236 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

NOTICE THE INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A SPEECH 

You recognize your friends by certain peculiarities 
that they have in appearance, speech, or manner. 

Every public speech is also marked by characteristics 
that make it different from any other speech. 

When you listen to a speech, notice the individual 
characteristics that make it different from any other 
speech. As quickly and as accurately as you can, take 
notes about these characteristics. 

NOTICE THE SPEAKER'S EFFECT ON THE AUDIENCE 

Sometimes a speaker makes his hearers laugh, or 
makes them grow thoughtful, or thrills them with 
emotion. Take notes of the speaker's effect on his 
hearers. 

MAKE AN EXACT QUOTATION 

Above all, make exact quotations that will tell the 
reader something about the speaker's thought, and 
personality, and power. 

"Books/' said Dr. Walters, in his address to the school last 
Monday morning, "are the telescopic eyes through which one 
is able to observe the daily routine of people in different parts 
of the world, or in different times in the history of the world." 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING QUOTATIONS FROM SPEECHES 

1 In the next recitation period, write a quotation that will represent 
the thought and the spirit of the period. 

2 On the next occasion when you hear a public speaker, write an 
exact quotation from his words, — a quotation that will represent his 
thought and his spirit. 

3 Write one or two quotations that will represent the thought and 
the spirit of a conversation in which you took part. 



LESSON XXIX 

REPORTING WHAT WAS SAID 

EVERY CONVERSATION IS AN INTERVIEW 

Every day you talk to some one, ask questions, ask 
opinions, and report to some one else what was said. 
Sometimes the subject of conversation is trivial; at 
other times, it is exceedingly important. In either 
case you would like to be as successful as possible in 
talking with every kind of person, and as truthful as 
possible in reporting what any one says. 

The success of every conversation, or interview, 
depends upon politeness, for no person can succeed in 
an interview unless he shows respect for the person to 
whom he speaks. 

PUT ASIDE TOO MUCH THOUGHT OF SELF 

When you interview any one, that is, when you talk 
with any one in order to obtain particular information 
that you will afterward report, put aside thought of 
yourself, and emphasize the advantages that the other 
person may gain. Do not emphasize your own wishes. 

MAKE CAREFUL PREPARATION 

Prepare just as carefully for conducting an important 
interview as for writing a composition. Write down in 
advance the questions that you will ask, making every 
question as suggestive as possible, so that it will lead 
the person whom you interview to speak along the 

237 



238 ENGLISH 

lines that you wish. Do not use these written questions 
except as a means of preparation for the interview. 

DO NOT TAKE NOTES 

Do not take notes during an interview, for note- 
taking makes the person whom you interview speak 
less frankly than he otherwise would. Make even the 
most important interview resemble an ordinary con- 
versation. 

TELL THE TRUTH 

When you write a report of an interview, tell the 
entire truth. If you tell only half that a person said, 
you may give a false impression. A teacher says : 

"Students are not entitled to high marks unless they do 
honest and faithful work." 

If a reporter for the school paper reports the entire 
sentence he will tell the whole truth. If he reports 
only half the sentence: " Students are not entitled to 
high marks," he reports words that the teacher said, 
but he does not make the words represent the teacher 
truthfully. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: REPORTING A CONVERSATION 

Listen to a conversation between some of your school companions, 
or between others whom you hear talking. Write a short account of the 
conversation. Report the principal thought-bearing sentences so that 
you will represent truthfully the thought and the spirit of all the 
speakers. 

1 Write the central theme, or thought, in a single sentence. 

2 Write a single sentence for every one of the three or four 

principal subordinate thoughts. 

3 Give exact quotations from the words of the speakers. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 239 

A REPORT OF A CONVERSATION 

Here is a report of a conversation with a teacher 
after the exhibition of an educational moving-picture. 

"I never saw any other film quite so interesting as that film 
explaining the actions of the organs of speech," said Mr. Welch, 
Wednesday afternoon, after the moving-picture exhibition. 
"I don't know how the film was made, but it showed with the 
utmost clearness the various expansions and contractions that 
cause speech." 

"But were all the positions of the tongue and teeth shown 
correctly?" we asked. 

Mr. Welch rose, and assuming his favorite erect position, 
with one hand extended, continued: 

"Without exception! Down to the smallest detail every 
movement was an exact reproduction of what happens when 
we speak. Did you notice that in pronouncing 'W the tongue 
changes its position completely?" 

We said we had observed that, and asked Mr. Welch if he 
thought the film was complete. 

"No," he replied, "that was the one fault with the produc- 
tion. I wish it had shown the action of the uvula during the 
articulation of the 'ng' sound. Then, too," he added, "it 
might have been better to have given the consonants sep- 
arately, instead of giving them as parts of words. But, as I 
said, it was extremely interesting and gave a clear idea of the 
actions of the organs of speech." 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A REPORT OF AN INTERVIEW 
Write an accurate, truthful, and interesting report of an interview 
with one of the persons named below. Tell something concerning the 
occasion and the circumstances of the interview. Give the central 
thought, the principal subordinate thoughts, and some exact quotations 
from the words of the speakers. If you wish, add a few concluding 
words telling your impression of the person with whom you talked or 
your opinion of what he said. 

1 A talk with the captain of an athletic team. 

2 A talk with one of the teachers in your school. 



240 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

3 A talk with a grammar-school pupil who is about to 

enter high school. 

4 A talk with a graduate of your school. 

5 A talk with your parents concerning your school work. 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: REPORTING WHAT WAS SAID 
In what respects is the following letter, printed in Stevenson's 
Treasure Island, a good report of what was said? 

"Old Anchor Inn, Bristol, March 1, 17—. 
"Dear Livesey: 

"As I do not know whether you are at the Hall or still in 
London, I send this in double to both places. 

"The ship is bought and fitted. She lies at anchor, ready 
for sea. You never imagined a sweeter schooner — a child 
might sail her — two hundred tons; name, Hispaniola. . . . 

"The most remarkable stroke of fortune brought me the 
very man that I required. 

"I was standing on the dock, when, by the merest acci- 
dent, I fell in talk with him. I found he was an old sailor, 
kept a public house, knew all the seafaring men in Bristol, had 
lost his health ashore, and wanted a good berth as cook to get 
to sea again. He had hobbled down there that morning, he 
said, to get a smell of the salt. 

"I was monstrously touched — so would you have been — 
and, out of pure pity, I engaged him on the spot to be ship's 
cook. Long John Silver, he is called, and has lost a leg; but 
that I regarded as a recommendation, since he lost it in his 
country's service, under the immortal Hawke. He has no 
pension, Livesey ! Imagine the abominable age we live in ! . . . 

"I am in the most magnificent health and spirits, eating like 
a bull, sleeping like a tree, yet I shall not enjoy a moment till 
I hear my old tarpaulins tramping round the capstan. Sea- 
ward ho ! . . . 

John Trelawney." 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A LETTER ABOUT A CONVERSATION 
Write a letter to a friend. In the course of the letter tell of a recent 
conversation in which your friend is likely to be interested. 



LESSON XXX 

MAKING PEOPLE SEE FOR THEMSELVES 
YOU CAN MAKE WORDS PRODUCE PICTURES 

You like to see moving-pictures because you can see 
so clearly just what some one else saw or imagined. 
You can see mountains, precipices, and rocky passes; 
pleasant landscapes, nooks in the woods, flower-hung 
cottages, beautiful mansions. You can see the whole 
story of human expression, — hate, fear, envy, anger, 
malice, and joy. You can see strange costumes and 
customs. You can see how people were grouped at 
certain moments, how they moved, and what they did. 

By using words in just the right ways you can produce 
somewhat of the effect of moving-pictures. 

WRITE AFTER CAREFUL OBSERVATION 

You cannot create any picture in the mind of another 
unless first you have a clear picture in your own mind. 
The first essential in making moving-pictures, is pho- 
tography. The first essential in writing description is 
close and careful observation. If you would make 
people see for themselves, — if you would write good 
descriptions, — write from direct and intimate observa- 
tion. 

CREATE IMPRESSIONS 

Merely giving a list of what is in a room does not 
describe. In writing description you must do more 
than name objects. You must create impressions and 
awaken emotions. 

241 



242 ENGLISH 

EMPHASIZE A SINGLE IMPRESSION 

A good description centres all attention on one emo- 
tion, and makes every detail add to one effect. 

When you first look at any object you notice immedi- 
ately one characteristic that stands out more noticeably 
than any other. That characteristic may be bigness, 
blackness, roughness, symmetry, unusual form, or any 
one of a thousand other characteristics. When you 
write the first words of a description, give the reader 
the same first general impression that you had when you 
first looked at the object. 

1 A tall, thin man was seated at a desk, busily writing with a 

pen. 

2 The room was dark and gloomy, the only light coming from 

one window and falling on a large table. 

3 A great valley stretched to the north, with wooded hills 

near by at the right and at the left. 

4 The whole western sky was flecked with colored clouds. 

5 The watch was small and delicately made. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING FIRST IMPRESSIONS 

Write first impressions on the following subjects, or on other subjects 
that interest you: 



1 


A railroad engine 


11 


A classroom 


2 


A trolley-car 


12 


The school corridors 


3 


A farmer's wagon 


13 


A push-cart peddler 


4 


An opening in the woods 


14 


The peanut man 


5 


A street scene 


15 


The ticket taker 


6 


The man at the corner 


16 


A crowded room 


7 


A meadow in summer 


17 


A dining-room 


8 


A busy office 


18 


On a railroad train 


9 


A store window 


19 


A hotel office 





A strange room 


20 


A muddy road 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 243 

USE SUGGESTIVE WORDS 

In order to make people see for themselves, use 
words that will awaken the imagination. Help people 
to imagine that they see things, hear sounds, touch 
objects, smell odors, or taste that which is pleasant or 
unpleasant. 

USE SPECIFIC WORDS 

You can most quickly make people "see for them- 
selves" if you use specific words, that is, precise, definite 
words that sharply fix the attention upon one particular 
point. Use as many specific words as possible. 

Notice the difference between general words and 
specific words: 



General Words 


Specific Words 


Cloth 


Serge 


Animal 


Leopard 


Insect 


Grasshopper 


Book 


Ivanhoe 


Tool 


Plane 


Weapon 


Spear 


Language 


Spanish 


City _ 


Athens 


Emotion 


Fear 


Game 


Croquet 



USE WORDS THAT HAVE ASSOCIATIONS 

Some words are more suggestive than others. They 
bring a host of associations and memories. Use as 
many suggestive words as possible. 



244 





ENGLISH 


otice the following slightly suggestive, and stro 


estive words. 




Slightly Suggestive 


Strongly Suggestive 


or 


or 


Denotative Words 


Connotative Words 


House 


Home 


Woman 


Mother 


Sailor 


Mariner 


Boy 


Brother 


Wave 


Billow 


Workman 


Artisan 


Light 


Moonlight 


Window 


Casement 


Color 


Purple 


Cloth 


Velvet 



USE IMITATIVE WORDS 



You can make people "hear for themselves " by using 
words that imitate sounds. Such words are called 
onomatopoeic words. 



Crackling 


Bray 


Rustle 


Roar 


Gurgle 


Buzz 


Thunder 


Scrape 


Tick 


Crash 


Bark 


Growl 


Hiss 


Drip 


Shuffle 


Whiz 


Moan 


Smash 


Clatter 


Grunt 


Toot 


Rumble 


Sizzle 


Splash 


Swish 


Pop 


Snarl 


Snap 


Cackle 


Boom 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 245 

USE MELODIOUS WORDS 

When you wish to produce a melodious effect use 
words that are melodious in sound, especially words 
that contain the letters 1, m, n, and r. Words that 
contain harsh sounds such as g, j, k, x, and z, are likely 
to be unmelodious. Use such words sparingly. 



lodious Words 


Unmelodious Words 


Melody 


Chuck 


Harmony 


Gutter 


Forever 


Soak 


Never 


Keg 


Moon 


Jug 


Name 


Cake 


More 


Haggle 


Lore 


Tax 


Rune 


Jagged 


Morn 


Bog 



USE MANY NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES 

Use many nouns and adjectives, and you will arouse 
mental pictures in the minds of your readers. Nouns 
are the names of persons, places, or objects. Adjectives 
point out characteristics. Both nouns and adjectives 
are strongly suggestive. 

Notice the following suggestive combinations of 
nouns and adjectives: 

1 A boggy by-road. 

2 A stout, plain, short-sighted, motherly body. 

3 A green meadow. 

4 An illegible dial-plate. 

5 A dead, monotonous time of night. 



246 ENGLISH 

6 A tall, white statue. 

7 The unvarying waste of sand. 

8 A delightful old man. 

9 A huge, weather-beaten mass of rock. 
10 Strong and picturesque intruders. 

MAKE THE DETAILS LEAD TO A STRONG EFFECT 

Arrange the details in a description so that every de- 
tail will add to the effect you wish to produce. Usu- 
ally you should produce the strongest effect at the 
end. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ARRANGING DETAILS . 

Write an outline for one of the descriptions indicated below, or for 
any other description you may wish to write. Plan to arrange the 
details so that they will lead to a strong effect. 

1 The approach to the school building. 

2 The streets at dismissal. 

3 The gymnasium during class time. 

4 The ticket sellers at a game. 

5 The rush for lunch. 

6 The orchestra in action. 

7 A snow-storm. 

8 The office of the school. 

9 A window display. 

10 A chemical laboratory. 

EMPHASIZE POINT OF VIEW 

Try to make people have exactly your way of looking 
at things. Give them a place from which to look at 
what you describe. Tell them exactly where to stand, 
from what distance to look, or from what height. 
Giving this information is called giving the point of 
view. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 247 

There are four principal points of view: 

1 A fixed point of view. 

2 A changed point of view. 

3 A moving point of view. 

4 An emotional point of view. 

A fixed point of view is a point of view that does not 
change. For example, you ask your reader to imagine 
that he is looking out of a window. You then tell all 
that he can see from that window, — and no more. The 
point of view is the window. 

If you ask your reader to imagine that he moves to 
another window on another side of the building, and 
if you then describe what can be seen from both win- 
dows, you change the point of view. You give two 
fixed points of view in a single description. 

If you ask your reader to imagine that he is seated at 
a window of a train, and if you then describe the vari- 
ous sights that can be seen from a moving train, you 
give a moving or constantly changing point of view. 

An emotional point of view has to do with your atti- 
tude of mind when you describe something, — y our pride, 
joy, hate, jealousy, gloom, or other attitude of mind. 

A boy who has made a slippery place on the side- 
walk greatly enjoys his sliding, and would describe the 
slippery place from the emotional point of view of 
joy. A man who falls down on the slippery place would 
describe it from the emotional point of view of anger. 

If you are to make people see things as you do, you 
must give them your emotional point of view, — your 
j°y> your sadness, your hope, your despondency, or 
whatever feeling you have. 



248 



ENGLISH 



3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING EMOTIONAL POINT OF VIEW 

Write one of the descriptions indicated below. Strongly emphasize 
your emotional point of view. At the same time, show whether your 
physical point of view is fixed, changed, or moving. 



1 


A drawing-room 


11 


At a play 


2 


A windy day on the square 


12 


On the stage 


3 


A club meeting 


13 


In a hospital 


4 


A school shop 


14 


In the toy store 


5 


A scene in the lobby 


15 


At a concert 


6 


The railroad station 


16 


A street parade 


7 


A wood-turning lathe 


17 


In church 


8 


A bureau drawer 


18 


A baseball game 


9 


On the street car 


19 


A football game 





In a drug store 


20 


In a department store 



USE FAMILIAR COMPARISONS AND CONTRASTS 

Comparison and contrast will aid you greatly, if you 
compare and contrast your subject with something 
familiar to your reader. 



4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING COMPARISON OR CONTRAST 

Write one of the descriptions indicated below. Make use of 
familiar comparison or of a familiar contrast. 



Sunset on the lake 

The front of a building 

A lofty window 

A beautifully bound book 

A unique vase 

A set of dishes 

An unusual watch 

An old brooch 

A curious chain 

An odd chair 

A comfortable lounge 



1 


A lathe in operation 


10 


2 


A picture of colonial days 


11 




in America 


12 


3 


A good-looking tramp 


13 


4 


The statue in the park 


14 


5 


Ice skating 


15 


6 


Just before the examina- 


16 




tion 


17 


7 


My father's bookcase 


18 


8 


An old automobile 


19 


9 


My favorite picture 


20 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 249 

MAKE YOUR READER FEEL YOUR OWN EMOTION 

Try with all your skill to convey to your reader 
just the emotion that you feel. Sometimes that emo- 
tion will be physical delight in sight or hearing or smell 
or feeling or taste. Sometimes it will be a higher de- 
light, — a kind of spiritual delight, such as a person 
experiences when he hears beautiful music; when he 
sees a glorious sunset; or when he thinks of noble ac- 
tion. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: COMMUNICATING EMOTION 

Write one of the descriptions indicated below. Emphasize your 
emotions. 



1 


The last dance 


7 


Above the clouds 


2 


A field of flowers 


8 


A thunder-storm 


3 


A meadow in summer 


9 


Driving rain 


4 


A mountain view 


10 


An August day 


5 


In the woods 


11 


A very old cemetery 


6 


A sunset in October 


12 


A historical marker 



6 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING PEOPLE SEE FOR THEMSELVES 

Tell what principles, mentioned in this lesson, are illustrated in the 
following paragraph: 

"My route for a part of the way lay in sight of the Avon, 
which made a variety of the most fancy doublings and windings 
through a wide and fertile valley; sometimes glittering from 
among willows which fringed its borders; sometimes disap- 
pearing among groves, or beneath green banks; and sometimes 
rambling out into full view, and making an azure sweep round 
a slope of meadow land. This beautiful bosom of country is 
called the Vale of the Red Horse. A distant line of undulat- 
ing blue hills seems to be its boundary, whilst all the soft in- 
tervening landscape lies in a manner enchained in the silver 
links of the Avon." — Irving's Sketch-Book. 



LESSON XXXI 

PRESENTING A SITUATION 

IT IS NOT EASY TO PRESENT A SITUATION 

"Did you see the accident? Just what did you see 
when you got there? Tell me about it," 

Some such questions come to you every day. In 
conversation you find it easy enough to answer them. 
If one sentence fails to present the situation, you add 
another sentence. 

Sometimes your teacher asks you to write an answer 
to some such question as the following: 

"What is the situation at the opening of The Ancient 
Mariner V 1 

You find it puzzling to say all that you wish to say. 

EMPHASIZE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS 

The following principles will help you to write an- 
swers to such questions. 

First, emphasize the principal characteristics that 
the scene presents, and then write a statement of the 
relative positions of the main figures in the scene. Tell 
about the appearance, the manner, and the significant 
actions of the principal characters. 

If you came suddenly upon two or three people, the 
first thing to attract your attention would be the peo- 
ple themselves, their actions, and their relation to one 

250 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 251 

another. You would notice whether the people were 
angry, or surprised, or frightened, or indifferent. You 
would notice their costumes, and especially tools, 
or books, or anything held in their hands. 

In every situation, whether in real life or in a book 
or play, certain characteristics stand out most notably. 
Emphasize these characteristics. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRESENTING PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS 
AND PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS 

Imagine that you are to write a full account of one of the situations 
named below. Write enough to tell the principal characteristics of 
the situation and to present the principal characters. 

1 Sir Launf al giving com- 9 Sir Launf al when he awoke 

mands 10 Sir Launfal and his friends 

2 Sir Launfal asleep 11 Two boys quarrel 

3 Sir Launfal throwing gold to 12 The end of a race 

a beggar 13 A scene in a kitchen 

4 A beggar rebuking Sir Laun- 14 On a street corner 

fal 15 A windy day 

5 Sir Launfal in the desert 16 Two girls meet two other 

6 Sir Launfal before the castle girls 

he had once owned 17 A visitor arrives 

7 Sir Launfal sharing bread 18 An introduction 

and water with a beggar 19 An exulting crowd 

8 The beggar's transformation 20 A farewell 

TELL ABOUT THrf ^SURROUNDINGS 

To present a situation well, tell in detail about the 
surroundings. Think definitely of the following points : 

1 What was in the foreground? 

2 What was in the background? 

3 What was at the right? 

4 What was at the left? 



252 ENGLISH 

5 What was the weather? 

6 What was the time of day? 

If you were presenting a play you would tell all this 
by means of scenery and stage mechanism. When you 
write about a situation, write sentences or paragraphs 
that will do for your composition what stage scenery 
and mechanism do for a play. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING SURROUNDINGS 

Imagine that you are to write a full account of one of the situations 
named below, or of a situation in any book you have read. Write an 
account of the surroundings. Think definitely of the six points named 
above. 

1 The Ancient Mariner talking with the Wedding Guest. 

2 The sailing of the Ancient Mariner's ship. 

3 The Ancient Mariner lost in the regions of ice. 

4 The situation the moment after the Ancient Mariner had 

killed the Albatross. 

5 The Ancient Mariner's ship becalmed in the tropics. 

6 The situation when the Ancient Mariner blessed the water 

snakes. 

7 The situation when the Pilot approached the Ancient 

Mariner's ship. 

8 The wedding procession in The Rime of the Ancient 

Mariner, 

9 The situation when the Ancient Mariner had finished his 

tale. 
10 The situation when the Wedding Guest once more met his 
friends. 

EMPHASIZING SIGNIFICANT DETAILS 
In any situation certain details stand out with sig- 
nificant meaning and are especially worthy of emphasis. 
Find in every situation the details that are rich with 
meaning. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 253 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING SIGNIFICANT DETAILS 

Write a paragraph that will emphasize the significant details in one 
of the situations named below, or in any other situation that has inter- 
ested you. 

1 Just after the game had been won. 

2 When the crowd challenged the umpire's decision. 

3 Just before the great speech. 

4 When the election was announced. 

5 When the winner came home. 

6 When a leader was needed. 

7 Just after the accident. 

8 The moment when the tree fell. 

9 When the musician held us spellbound. 
10 When the crowd became enthusiastic. 

INDICATE THE TIME OF DAY AND THE PERIOD OF 
HISTORY 

In writing of any situation, name the significant 
details that indicate the time of day or the period of 
history. 

REVIEW PREVIOUS EVENTS 

Sometimes, in order to explain a situation, it is 
necessary to give a brief review of the events that led 
to it. Show how the events are related to the situation 
itself. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: REVIEWING PREVIOUS EVENTS 

Write a short review of the events that led to any situation that 
interested you. Make your review so short that it will be subordinate 
to the presentation of the situation itself. The following suggestions 
may help you: 

1 The one run needed. 

2 The first speaker. 

3 When the umpire held to his decision. 

4 When the boy was accused again. 



254 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

5 When the race began. 

6 The climax of the meeting. 

7 The panic. 

8 The angry crowd. 

9 His only fish. 

10 The runaway auto. 

EXPLAIN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SITUATION 

Every situation has its own significance, and points 
to some future event. It is only a link in a series of 
actions. Point out the significance of the situation 
you present. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A 
SITUATION 

Write a paragraph in which you emphasize the significance of one 
of the following situations, or of any other situation that interests you. 

1 When Life-in-Death won the throw of the dice. 

2 The Ancient Mariner's inability to pray. 

3 When the Wedding Guest left the Ancient Mariner. 

4 Sir Launfal in his pride. 

5 Sir Launfal in his wretchedness. 

6 Sir Launfal sharing his crust. 

7 Cedric's treatment of his many guests. 

8 The insulting of Isaac of York. 

9 The wickedness of Front de Boeuf . 

10 The return of King Richard. 

11 A game played well, against great odds. 

12 An earnest, but unsuccessful, attempt to win a prize. 

13 An example of self-control. 

14 Angry words. 

15 A temptation resisted. 

16 A courteous act. 

17 Demanding fair play. 

18 Welcoming a stranger. 

19 Conquering disorder. 

20 Self-control in a fire drill. 



LESSON XXXII 

MAKING PEOPLE APPRECIATE 

APPRECIATION DEPENDS UPON KNOWLEDGE 

"Oh say, didn't he get a quick start! Watch him 
run ! Just as easy ! He's a born runner !" 

Words of admiration come to our lips when we see a 
skilful athlete, a clever actor, or any one else doing his 
work remarkably well. 

If we ourselves are skilful in the same work, our 
interest is greater. The high school baseball player 
who goes to a League game, watches every play with 
eager eyes. He wishes that he could play as well as 
the League players. He appreciates good playing be- 
cause he himself is a player. 

The first necessity for appreciation is knowledge of 
the thing to be appreciated. In order to lead some one 
else to appreciate what you appreciate, impart some- 
thing of your own knowledge. 

Almost every one who writes letters to friends tells 
of something that he enjoys, and makes an effort to 
lead his friends to appreciate the same thing. 

Every newspaper comments on the skill of athletes, 
of musicians, of actors, of authors, and of painters. 
The newspaper writers make distinct efforts to lead 
their readers to appreciate skill. 

APPRECIATION IS BASED UPON EMOTION 

Appreciation is always emotional. An audience at 
a theatre expresses appreciation by handclapping and 

255 



256 ENGLISH 

by smiles of approval. In writing an appreciation, 
express your feelings just as spontaneously as you ap- 
plaud at a play, and just as genuinely. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EXPRESSING EMOTION 

Write a paragraph cf appreciation on one of the following subjects, 
or on any other subject that interests you. Express your feelings 
honestly and fully. 



1 


Good baseball playing. 


2 


Skilful dancing. 


3 


Expert tennis playing. 


4 


Clever drawing. 


5 


Expert woodwork. 


6 


Skilful sewing. 


7 


Remarkable football playing, 


8 


Good juggling. 


9 


Expert writing. 


10 


Skilful knitting. 



MAKE PEOPLE SEE FOR THEMSELVES 

Use suggestive words that will make people see the 
pictures that you have in your own mind. Then call 
attention to the best characteristics in the work that 
you think praiseworthy. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: CREATING MENTAL PICTURES 

Write a paragraph of appreciation on one of the following subjects, 
or on any other subject that interests you. Give your reader a vivid 
picture of what is to be appreciated. Then call attention to good char- 
acteristics. 

1 The best play in the game. 

2 A wonderful bit of acting. 

3 Some remarkable skating. 

4 Extraordinary climbing. 

5 The last lap of the race. 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 257 

6 The winning move. 

7 What won the most applause. 

8 Why the class laughed. 

9 The view that I like best. 
10 Rain in the mountains. 

ILLUSTRATE GOOD CHARACTERISTICS 

Do not make a catalogue of best characteristics. 
Name the two or three notably best characteristics; 
explain briefly why those characteristics are good; and 
give some illustration for every characteristic. In writ- 
ing about a book, name the two or three best character- 
istics of the book, and then illustrate every charac- 
teristic by giving short quotations to prove what you 
say. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING QUOTATIONS 

Write an appreciation of one of the following books. Point out the 
two or three best characteristics of the book. Give quotations that 
will support what you say. 

1 A good modern novel. 

2 The poetry of Alfred Noyes. 

3 One of Dickens's novels. 

4 A good book for boys. 

5 A good book for girls. 

6 A good modern poet. 

7 One of Mark Twain's stories. 

8 A good song. 

9 A good book of anecdotes. 

10 A book of useful information. 

POINT OUT THE PRINCIPAL FEATURE, THOUGHT, 
OR EMOTION 

Point out the principal feature, the principal thought, 
or the principal emotion that you wish to emphasize. 



258 ENGLISH 

The principal feature of a game might be a single won- 
derful play. The principal thought of a book might be 
summed up in a single sentence. The principal emo- 
tion at a play might be one of intense joy, or of deep 
sadness. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING THE PRINCIPAL FEATURE, 
THOUGHT, OR EMOTION 

Write an appreciation of one of the following. Emphasize the prin- 
cipal feature, thought, or emotion. 

1 The last baseball game. 

2 The last football game. 

3 The last basket-ball game. 

4 The last handball game. 

5 The last tennis match. 

6 The last social event. 

7 The last debate. 

8 A recent speech. 

9 An interesting play. 
10 A good romance. 

POINT OUT ANYTHING UNUSUAL 

Point out anything unusual in style, or in accomplish- 
ment, or any notably picturesque effects. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: POINTING OUT THE UNUSUAL 
Write an appreciation of one of the following. Point out anything 
unusual, such as excellence of character drawing, beauty of style, 
remarkably high degree of skill, or anything else out of the ordinary. 

1 Uncle Tom's Cabin 7 Exquisite music 



2 


Robinson Crusoe 


8 


Remarkable horseback rid- 


3 


Gulliver 7 s Travels 




ing 


4 


The old farm 


9 


Fast operating 


5 


A good act 


10 


Clever workmanship 


6 


A wonderful picture 


11 


A good recitation 








FOR IMMEDIATE USE 25 


12 


A good declamation 16 Wise leadership 


13 


A good dramatic charac- 17 Making a good translation 




terization 18 Good laboratory work 


14 


Good pitching 19 Playing classical music 


15 


Good batting 20 Good teaching 



USE FAMILIAR COMPARISON OR CONTRAST 

Sometimes a shoemaker, in order to make you appre- 
ciate his work, puts in his window a pair of old, worn- 
out shoes, and puts beside them a pair of shoes newly 
tapped and heeled. The contrast impels you to take 
your old shoes to him, and have them made as good as 
new. Comparison or contrast always aids in awaken- 
ing appreciation. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING COMPARISON OR CONTRAST 

Write an appreciation of one of the following. Make effective use 
of comparison or of contrast. 



1 


Good composition work 


11 


A city scene 


2 


Good architecture 


12 


On the farm 


3 


Good jumping 


13 


A view in the woods 


4 


Good target shooting 


14 


A field of flowers 


5 


Good work with the bow 


15 


A set of tools 




and arrow 


16 


A mountain view 


6 


Good drawing 


17 


A snow-storm 


7 


Good skiing 


18 


Jewelry- 


8 


Good character drawing 


19 


Silverware 


9 


Good description 


20 


A set of dishes 


10 


Good pole vaulting 


21 


A room in a museum 



ADD THE TESTIMONY OF OTHERS 

If you can add the testimony of others in support of 
your own statements, you will make your work more 
convincing. 



1 


Good violin playing 


11 


2 


A good impersonation 


12 


3 


An interesting picture 


13 


4 


A play worth seeing 


14 


5 


A famous speech that I like 


15 


6 


The best novel I ever read 


16 


7 


My favorite place in the 


17 




country 


18 


8 


The best workman I know 


19 


9 


A man who knows no fear 


20 


10 


The best kind of bat 





260 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING QUOTATIONS 

Write an appreciation of one of the following. Use any of the 
methods already mentioned for awakening appreciation. Add a quo- 
tation from some one whose words will support what you have said. 

A good horse 
The best kind of farm 
A good holiday 
A companionable person 
A good moving-picture 
An amusing sight 
A well-trained dog 
A good comic picture 
A good short story 
A boy who is sure to suc- 
ceed 

8 ORAL EXERCISE: MAKING PEOPLE APPRECIATE 

How does Carlyle, in the following passage, lead people to appreci- 
ate the spirit of Robert Burns ? 

"Of Burns' fervid affection, his generous all-embracing 
love, we have spoken already, as of the grand distinction of his 
nature, seen equally in word and deed, in his life and in his 
writings. It were easy to multiply examples. Not man only, 
but all that environs man in the material and moral universe, 
is lovely in his sight: 'the hoary hawthorne/ the ' troop of 
gray plover/ the 'solitary curlew/ all are dear to him; all live 
in this earth along with him, and to all he is knit as in mys- 
terious brotherhood. How touching is it, for instance, that, 
amidst the gloom of personal misery, brooding over the 
wintry desolation without him and within him, he thinks of 
the 'ourie cattle' and 'silly sheep/ and their sufferings in the 
pitiless storm ! 

'I thought me on the ourie cattle, 
Or silly sheep, wha bide this brattle 
0' wintry war . . .' " 



LESSON XXXIII 

TELLING ABOUT A MAN'S LIFE 

THERE ARE HEROES IN EVERY SCHOOL 

"When future Waltonians review our gallery of football 
celebrities who have combined the use of skill, courage and 
quick-wittedness, the name of George Hartman will stand out. 
It is generally admitted that Hartman is one of the shining 
lights of the second greatest football team that Walton High 
ever had. When it came to throwing a forward pass for a 
much needed gain, or when a punt was needed to carry the team 
out of danger, Hartman was always ready." 

These are the words with which a school reporter 
begins an account of one of the school heroes. In 
every school there is frequent occasion to write about 
those who are the existing leaders in athletic or in 
literary work, or about those who were the leaders in 
the past. It is a good thing to write about the lives of 
people who do things, or who have done things. It 
helps you, and it helps your readers, to become more 
able and more useful. 

EMPHASIZE THE REASON FOR PRESENT INTEREST 

In writing any biographical sketch it is well to begin 
by naming the reasons for present interest in the sub- 
ject of your sketch. Unless there is some ground for 
present interest in your subject, there is little reason for 
writing. If you tell something concerning the reasons 

261 



262 ENGLISH 

that make your principal subject interesting, you and 
your readers will meet on a common ground. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING PRESENT INTEREST 

Imagine that you have been asked to write a biographical sketch of 
one of the following persons. Write a paragraph in which you estab- 
lish the reasons for present interest in that person: 

1 The captain of your football team. 

2 A popular teacher. 

3 The principal of your school. 

4 The winner of a prize. 

5 A speaker who addressed your school assembly. 

6 The Governor of your State. 

7 A great public character. 

8 A well-known author. 

9 A prominent business man. 
10 An inventor. 

NAME ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

When you have made your readers interested in the 
person about whom you are writing, proceed at once 
to tell in detail about his work. Here is the way in 
which one high school writer did this: 

" Richard Lincoln administered the crowning blow a month 
ago when he won the Inter-State Colgate Extemporaneous 
Speaking Contest, representing this State. Lincoln is also the 
most honorable of honor men. Besides being Leader of our 
Arista, he is President of the Arista Association. Then he is 
President of the largest Senior-Class — that of June, 1918. Can 
you wonder at the class's good judgment ? And then you have 
him, — Captain of the first Golf team we put out. What's 
more, with his ' slashing' games of golf he won the first cham^ 
pionship. Lincoln is a combination of talent, character, and 
strength. We take this opportunity, therefore, of honoring a 
second great Lincoln — Richard Lincoln." 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 263 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: NAMING ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Write a paragraph or two naming the various kinds of work accom- 
plished by one of the following: 

1 A good athletic coach. 

2 A popular teacher. 

3 A society leader. 

4 A good athlete. 

5 A popular student. 

6 A prize winner. 

7 An editor. 

8 An actor. 

9 A good debater. 

10 A general organization president. 

MAKE THE DAYS OF THE PAST SEEM REAL 

If you write about any person who lived in other 
times, say something concerning those times. Make 
your readers understand just what surroundings your 
hero had, — what sort of obstacles he encountered, and 
with what equipment he was provided. 

If you write about a boy in the days of the American 
Revolution, you can make your story of the boy's life 
and experiences vivid, and real, and you can awaken 
sympathy for him, if you tell what he saw every day, — 
simple houses, people clothed in the quaint garb of the 
Revolution, and streets filled, not with automobiles, 
but with people on foot or on horseback. You can tell 
of the simplicity of house interiors in those long-gone 
days, of plainly beautiful furniture, — and of the diffi- 
culty of communication, owing to bad roads and slow 
methods of travel. You can mention all the many 
things that made the days of the Revolution different 
from our own days. You can show your hero meeting 



264 ENGLISH 

obstacles that we do not meet to-day, because we have 
the advantages of railroad, telegraph, and telephone, 
and of many other inventions that he could not enjoy. 
Whenever you write about the life of any person who 
lived in days before your own, do something to make 
the past appear real. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING THE PAST SEEM REAL 

Write, for one of the stories named below, a single paragraph that 
will give the atmosphere of the past: 

1 A day in an old-time school. 

2 Adventures with pioneer boys and girls, 

3 An afternoon with Daniel Boone. 

4 Surveying with Washington. 

5 The boy who saw Shakespeare. 

6 A day with the Pilgrim fathers. 

7 Long John Silver's last adventure. 

8 The boyhood of Columbus. 

9 An adventure in the early days of this State. 

10 Camping with a Roman army. 

11 An English bowman's triumph. 

12 A girl of old Virginia. 

SPEAK OF THE INFLUENCES THAT MADE CHARACTER 

Every person's character is modified by various 
influences, good and bad, that exert themselves upon 
him. In writing of the life of any person, particularly 
of one whose whole life story is known, tell what you 
can concerning the influences that deeply affected 
character. 

In telling the story of Abraham Lincoln, you would 
tell how Lincoln was influenced by life in a primitive 
settlement of the Middle West, and of how he was af- 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 265 

f ected by his trip down the Mississippi, and by his visit 
to the New Orleans slave market. You would speak 
of the effect of his missing such opportunities as came 
to persons born in the midst of cultured surroundings. 
You would show that all these influences taken to- 
gether made Lincoln simple, kind-hearted, and unique. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING OF THE INFLUENCES THAT 
MADE CHARACTER 

Write a paragraph or two to tell what influences aided in shaping 
the character of any one of the following well-known persons: 

Daniel Webster 
Henry Ward Beecher 
James Whitcomb Riley 
Benedict Arnold 
Alexander Hamilton 
General George A. Custer 
Andrew Carnegie 
" Stonewall" Jackson 
The captain of a. team 
The president of a school 

society 
A cheer leader 
A good debater 

EMPHASIZE THE INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION 

Education deeply influences any one. Shakespeare's 
education in the little school at Stratford-on-Avon ; and 
his self-education through observation and reading, 
made him just the sort of writer that we find him, — 
one interested in many things in a poetic and romantic 
way rather than in a scholarly way. The training 
gained by U. S. Grant and Robert E. Lee at West 
Point and in the Mexican War paved the way for the 



1 


Christopher Columbus 


13 


2 


General Grant 


14 


3 


Robert E. Lee 


15 


4 


Edgar Allan Poe 


16 


5 


Henry Wadsworth Long- 


17 




fellow 


18 


6 


John Greenleaf Whittier 


19 


7 


John B. Gough 


20 


8 


Florence Nightingale 


21 


9 


Joan of Arc 


22 


10 


Sir Walter Scott 




11 


George Washington 


23 


12 


Aaron Burr 


24 



266 



ENGLISH 



wonderful work of those men as commanders of armies 
in the Civil War. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: THE INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION 

Write a paragraph in which you tell of the educational influences 
that aided in developing the careers of one of the following: 



1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 



Theodore Roosevelt 13 

Admiral Peary 14 

Jacob A. Riis 15 

Helen Keller 16 

General Pershing 17 

Thomas A. Edison 18 

Henry M. Stanley 19 

David Livingstone 20 

Sir Conan Doyle 21 

Guglielmo Marconi 22 

Felix Mendelssohn 23 

Ludwig van Beethoven 24 



Robert Schumann 
Franz Schubert 
Robert Clive 
William Caxton 
Philip Sheridan 
Geoffrey Chaucer 
William Penn 
Carl Schurz 
A popular teacher 
A school musician 
A school prize winner 
A leading business man 



DIVIDE YOUR STORY INTO NATURAL DIVISIONS 



When you have once introduced the hero of your 
sketch and have told of the influences that led to the 
development of character, you are prepared to tell the 
story of your hero's life. You may do this by divid- 
ing your narrative into natural sections. 

Sometimes you will find two sections sufficient. In 
the first section tell of the hero's early work, and of his 
first efforts to achieve something worth while. In the 
second tell of his mature work,— of his best and greatest 
accomplishments. 

In other cases you may need to make more than two 
divisions. In writing about Shakespeare's dramatic 
career, you might tell the story under three heads. 
In the first, tell of Shakespeare's work in rewriting old 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 267 

plays in accordance with old models, but showing much 
love for action and fun; in the second, of his writing 
plays of far superior merit, — rich in thought, filled with 
a high understanding of life, and showing the develop- 
ment of a mature mind; in the third, of his writing 
plays of great poetic power and high imagination, less 
touched with the struggle and the passion of life. 
The story of any life falls into natural divisions. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: FOLLOW NATURAL DIVISIONS 

Write two or more paragraphs about the life of one of the persons 
named below. Plan your work so that it will follow natural divisions. 



1 


Nathan Hale 


14 


Sebastian Bach 


2 


Sir Walter Scott 


15 


Charlemagne 


3 


Nathaniel Hawthorne 


16 


Captain John Smith 


4 


Napoleon Bonaparte 


17 


Peter the Great 


5 


Washington Irving 


18 


David Garrick 


6 


James Fenimore Cooper 


19 


Buddha 


7 


John Paul Jones 


20 


Mohammed 


8 


James A. Garfield 


21 


Your own life 


9 


William McKinley 


22 


Your father's life 


10 


James Watt 


23 


The life of a man whose career 


11 


Alfred the Great 




you would like to follow 


12 


Joseph Addison 


24 


The life of a woman whom 


13 


Alexandre Dumas 




you admire 



TELL WHAT INFLUENCE YOUR HERO HAD 

A person's worth to the world is judged by his effect 
on the world, — whether for good or for bad. We look 
upon John G. Whittier with respect because he was a 
strong influence toward the establishment of human 
freedom and the awakening of human sympathy. 



268 



ENGLISH 



Through his poems the world still feels his kindly in- 
fluence, and his sympathy with all that is good and up- 
lifting. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING OF INFLUENCE ON THE WORLD 

Write a paragraph in which you summarize the influence, either 
past or present, of one of the following: 



1 


John Brown 


15 


Artemus Ward 


2 


Florence Nightingale 


16 


Robert Burns 


3 


Clara Barton 


17 


Thomas Carlyle 


4 


Lord Macaulay 


18 


Charles Sumner 


5 


David Livingstone 


19 


Maximilien Robespierre 


6 


Samuel Johnson 


20 


Louis XIV 


7 


Galileo 


21 


A living inventor 


8 


Queen Elizabeth 


22 


The most influential person 


9 


Julius Caesar 




with whom you are ac- 


10 


Charles Dickens 




quainted 


11 


Elias Howe 


23 


A generous person whom you 


12 


Cyrus H. McCormick 




know 


13 


Friedrich Froebel 


24 


A hard worker whom you 


14 


Eugene Field 




know 



GIVE QUOTATIONS 

Nothing so well represents a person as do his own 
words. Include in your story of a human life, quo- 
tations from actual words spoken or written. 

Give quotations that will represent the person most 
truthfully, most emphatically, and at the same time 
most quickly. Do not give long quotations. They 
turn attention away from your thought. Notice the 
effectiveness of the short quotation in the following 
from Macaulay's Essay on Johnson: 

"Some time appears to have elapsed before Johnson was able 
to form any literary connection from which he could expect 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 269 

more than bread for the day which was passing over him. He 
never forgot the generosity with which Hervey, who was now 
residing in London, relieved his wants during this time of 
trial. ' Harry Hervey/ said Johnson many years later, 'was 
a vicious man; but he was very kind to me. If you call a dog 
" Hervey," I shall love him.'" 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING QUOTATIONS 

Select from the words of one of the following a short pasage that 
will well represent the person. Introduce this passage with a few words 
of explanation concerning the time and the circumstances under which 
the words were spoken or written. Add, if necessary, a few further 
words of explanation or comment. 

John Ruskin 

Rudyard Kipling 

John Masefield 

William Wordsworth 

Lord Byron 

Matthew Arnold 

Gilbert K. Chesterton 

The principal of your school 

A living man or woman whom 

you admire 
A school leader 
A prominent business man 
An editor 

EXPRESS YOUR OWN EMOTION TOWARD YOUR HERO 

Last of all, in telling about the work or the character 
of any person, give your own individual impression of 
that person. Sum up what he means to you. Express 
your personal feeling freely and frankly. 

In the following passage, Thomas Carlyle, in sum- 
ming up what he had to say about Robert Burns, 
speaks of his own feeling, — of his pity and admiration 



1 


Edmund Burke 


14 


2 


Abraham Lincoln 


15 


3 


Daniel Webster 


16 


4 


Woodrow Wilson 


17 


5 


Patrick Henry 


18 


6 


Henry Clay 


19 


7 


P. T. Barnum 


20 


8 


Admiral Dewey 


21 


9 


Captain Lawrence 


22 


10 


General Pershing 




11 


Cicero 


23 


12 


Lord Bacon 


24 


13 


George Eliot 


25 



270 ENGLISH 

for Burns, and of his delight in the simple, beautiful 
work of the great Scotch poet, 

"With our readers in general, with men of right feeling any- 
where, we are not required to plead for Burns. In pitying 
admiration he lies enshrined in all our hearts, in a far nobler 
mausoleum than that one of marble; neither will his Works, 
even as they are, pass away from the memory of men. While 
the Shakespeares and Miltons roll on like mighty rivers through 
the country of Thought, bearing fleets of traffickers and assid- 
uous pearl-fishers on their waves, this little Valclusa Foun- 
tain will also arrest our eye: for this also is of Nature's own 
and most cunning workmanship, bursts from the depths of 
the earth, with a full gushing current, into the light of day; 
and often will the traveller turn aside to drink of its clear 
waters, and muse among its rocks and pines !" 

9 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EXPRESSING EMOTION 

Write a paragraph that will sum up your own feeling toward any one 
of the following: 



1 


William Shakespeare 


13 


Thomas Gray 


2 


James Whitcomb Riley 


14 


William D. Ho wells 


3 


Daniel Defoe 


15 


Ralph Waldo Emerson 


4 


Robert Louis Stevenson 


16 


John Burroughs 


5 


Harriet Beecher Stowe 


17 


Charles Lamb 


6 


Samuel Taylor Coleridge 


18 


Thomas De Quincey 


7 


Nathaniel Hawthorne 


19 


John Keats 


8 


Henry Wadsworth Long- 


20 


Thomas Chatterton 




fellow 


21 


A teacher who influenced 


9 


Walt Whitman 




you deeply 


10 


Mark Twain 


22 


A playmate of younger days 


11 


Rudyard Kipling 


23 


A high-school companion 


12 


Charles Kingsley 


24 


One of your relatives 



10 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A LETTER CONCERNING 
BIOGRAPHY 

Write a letter to the editor of any one of the papers published in 
your vicinity. In that letter give an account of the life and the work 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 271 

of one of the persons indicated below and of your impressions of that 
person: 

1 A former teacher. 

2 One of the most prominent graduates of your school. 

3 A leading statesman. 

4 A great inventor. 

5 An explorer. 

6 A brave man. 

11 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING ABOUT A MAN'S LIFE 

Write an account of the life of Abraham Lincoln, basing what you 
say on the following notes written by Lincoln himself: 

"I was raised to farm work, which I continued till I was 
twenty-two. At twenty-one I came to Illinois, and passed the 
first year in Macon County. Then I got to New Salem, at 
that time in Sangamon, now in Menard, County, where I re- 
mained a year as a sort of clerk in a store. Then came the 
Black Hawk War, and I was elected a captain of volunteers 
— a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had 
since. I went through the campaign, ran for the Legislature 
the same year (1832), and was beaten — the only time I have 
ever been beaten by the people. The next and three succeed- 
ing biennial elections I was elected to the Legislature. I was 
not a candidate afterwards. During this legislative period I 
had studied law, and removed to Springfield to practice it. In 
1846 I was once elected to the lower House of Congress, but 
was not a candidate for re-election. From 1849 to 1854, both 
inclusive, practiced law more assiduously than ever before. 
Always a Whig in politics, and generally on the Whig electoral 
tickets, making active canvasses. I was losing interest in 
politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused 
me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known. 

"If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it 
may be said, I am, in height, six feet four inches nearly; lean 
in flesh, weighing, on an average, one hundred and eighty 
pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair, and gray 
eyes." 



LESSON XXXIV 

TELLING ABOUT CHARACTER 

QUESTIONS CONCERNING CHARACTER ARE COMMON 

"What was the character of Benjamin Franklin ?" 

"What was the character of Napoleon?" 

"What is the character of Prince John in Ivanhoe?" 

Every day the teachers of English, the teachers of 
history, the teachers of Latin or of French or of Span- 
ish or of some other subject, ask questions concerning 
character. 

GO DIRECTLY TO THE POINT 

The best way to answer any of these questions is to 
go directly to the point. Repeat the words of the 
question and add other words, or groups of words, to 
indicate the substance of what you have to say. 

" Benjamin Franklin was remarkably honest and clever.' ' 
"Napoleon was noted for his ambition." 
" Prince John, in Ivanhoe, is represented as a wicked, selfish 
ruler and a conspirator for the throne of England." 

GIVE DETAILS IN SUPPORT OF GENERAL STATEMENTS 

When you have summed up the heart of what you 
have to say, support your statements by giving details. 
If you have said, " Benjamin Franklin was honest and 
clever/' tell incidents to illustrate Franklin's honesty 
and cleverness. Plan a fully developed answer. 

272 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 273 

INCLUDE ALL PRINCIPAL POINTS 

Use the following questions as a guide in telling about 
the character of any person. 

1 For what is the person most noted? 

2 What is the most notable feature of his character ? 

3 What is his personal appearance? 

4 What education, training, or experience affected 

him? 

5 What work did he accomplish? 

6 What is your personal impression of him ? 

EMPHASIZE SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS 

Any person, whether a living person, a historical 
character, or a fictitious character, is noted for certain 
deeds that stand out more significantly than others. 
It is these significant actions, and particularly their 
effect, that you must emphasize. 

Portia, in The Merchant of Venice, appears first as 
a witty and aristocratic young woman; then as a ro- 
mantic person; then as a quick-witted, clever-minded 
supporter of her husband's friend, and lastly as a 
mischievous player of pranks. Youth and cleverness 
appear in everything that she does. The proper tell- 
ing of what she does reveals her character and enables 
you to say: "Portia is marked by youth and clever- 
ness." 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS 

Write a character sketch of one of the following, or of some other 
person in whom you are interested. Emphasize the significant fea- 
tures of character. 

1 Julius Caesar 3 Shylock 

2 Cassius 4 Jessica 



27^ 


[ 


ENGLISH 


5 


Launcelot Gobbo 




13 A person of good judgment 


6 


A street-car conductor 




14 A humorous person 


7 


A railroad engineer 




15 A gentleman 


8 


The grocer 




16 A born leader 


9 


The cook 




17 A good comrade 


10 


The auctioneer 




18 A tactful person 


11 


A patriotic man of to-day 


19 A good adviser 


12 


An ingenious man 




20 A sympathetic friend 



EMPHASIZE CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS 

Sometimes speak at great length concerning your 
hero's chief characteristics: 

1 His general characteristics. 

2 His ideals. 

3 His ability. 

4 His altruism. 

5 His personal peculiarities. 

6 His first aims. 

7 His final aims. 

HERE IS A GOOD CHARACTER SKETCH WRITTEN BY A HIGH- 
SCHOOL PUPIL 

I have had many teachers during my eleven years of school, 
but the memory of my relations with Mr. X is most cheerful 
and refreshing. To me Mr. X represents the ideal toward which 
all teachers should strive. 

Mr. X was my teacher of science in public school, — a man 
patient at the stupidity of some, delighted with the quickness 
of others, and free-and-easy-going with the rest of us. He was 
probably the best teacher in the school. 

Mr. X has a gentle persuasion that induced any willing one 
in his classes to become a good student. He placed no restraint 
on our conduct in the classroom, and yet saw to it that no dis- 
turbances were made by pupils. 

I can't explain why, but as soon as we came into his room, 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 275 

its inexplicable atmosphere and the presence of Mr. X tended 
to subdue us to a quiet willingness to settle down to business. 

Unlike most teachers, Mr. X was interested in the individual 
student. If you were to confide to him your secret dreams and 
ambitions he would offer you suggestions, and advise you in a 
kind, fatherly manner. 

We who were interested in delving into the mysteries of 
science were accustomed to stay in his room after dismissal at 
three. There he was wont to enlarge our knowledge by wonder- 
fully interesting talks on practically every subject. 

Even now, when I look back at it, the man's knowledge 
appears gigantic, colossal, — and yet he had a way that rendered 
all he told us ridiculously simple and easy to grasp. 

On Saturdays, if the weather was bad, he would take us to 
the Museum of Art or to the Museum of Natural History. 
There he would explain all the exhibits. 

If the weather was bright and sunny, he would take us on 
"hikes," on the Palisades or in Westchester County. 

I remember him so well, — his huge, muscular frame; his 
ruddy, cheerful countenance, smiling from behind tortoise- 
shell glasses; his walking-stick with a gold head; and our group 
of boys around him. Everything he touched assumed new 
interest. 

His relations with us were not confined to intellectual pur- 
suits. I remember on Field Day how he taught us to row in 
the little lake, and how he swung the bat in our baseball game 
until the sweat rolled down his beaming face. 

On certain afternoons he volunteered to take charge of the 
school's recreational centre, — and the recreation work went 
without a squabble. 

When we graduated, we were at a loss what to present him 
as a token of affection. Finally we decided on an expensive 
French brier pipe. Later I found he had never smoked in his 
life, but would you imagine it ? — I can never forget the way he 
thanked us. He nearly cried as he patted every head and 
shook every hand effusively, bubbling over with words. He 
didn't "let on" to us that he had no use for the pipe. It 
was just his way. 



276 ENGLISH 

If you write about King Henry V, as he is presented 
in Shakespeare's Henry V, tell about King Henry's 
great energy, his royal dignity, and his power of leader- 
ship. Emphasize his ideals, his desire for honest 
judgment and fair treatment, and his wish to serve his 
country to the full extent of his power. Speak of his 
willingness to put aside all thought of self, and to think 
of his country, of the army under his command, and of 
individual soldiers in his army. Add information 
concerning his peculiarities, his willingness to take part 
in rough jokes with the soldiers, his inability to speak 
correct French, and his bluff courtship. Tell of his 
desire to put aside any thought of revenge for the in- 
sult given him by the French, and emphasize his aim 
to bring under the English power those lands that he 
believed belonged to the English, and of his final aim 
to bring about lasting peace between France and Eng- 
land. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING CHARACTERISTIC IDEALS 
AND AIMS 

Write a character sketch of one of the following, or of some other 
person in whom you are interested. In your first sentence summarize 
character. In later sentences speak of ideals and aims. 

1 Portia 12 A popular student 

2 Bassanio 13 A school leader 

3 Quentin Durward 14 A remarkable debater 

4 Ivanhoe 15 The captain of a team 

5 Richard the Lion Hearted 16 A leading athlete 

6 Brutus 17 The head of the student's 

7 Marc Antony organization 

8 Rosalind 18 A cheer leader 

9 Orlando 19 A social leader 

10 Touchstone 20 A prominent graduate 

11 A /ootball hero 21 A former teacher 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 277 

INDICATE CHARACTER BY TELLING OF PERSONAL 
APPEARANCE 

We look at a person and say to ourselves, "He's a 
good fellow/' or, "I don't like his looks." On the stage 
the dress and make-up of a character reveal much. 
Little matters of personal appearance are most signifi- 
cant. The cut of a garment, the style of clothing, de- 
tails in facial appearance, all reveal details of appear- 
ance and lead us to draw conclusions. 

A CHARACTER SKETCH BASED ON APPEARANCE 

How quickly the following character sketch from 
Ivanhoe reveals the character of the wicked knight, 
Front-de-Bceuf : 

Front-de-Bceuf, a tall and strong man, whose life had been 
spent in public war or in private feuds and broils, and who had 
hesitated at no means of extending his feudal power, had fea- 
tures corresponding to his character, and which strongly ex- 
pressed the fiercer and more malignant passions of the mind. 
The scars with which his visage was seamed would, on features 
of a different cast, have excited the sympathy and venera- 
tion due to the marks of honorable valor; but, in the peculiar 
case of Front-de-Bceuf, they only added to the ferocity of his 
countenance, and to the dread which his presence inspired. 
This formidable baron was clad in a leathern doublet, fitted 
close to his body, which was frayed and soiled with the stains 
of his armor. He had no weapon, excepting a poniard at his 
belt, which served to counterbalance the weight of the bunch of 
rusty keys that hung at his right side. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: TELLING OF PERSONAL APPEARANCE 

Write a character sketch of one of the persons named below, or of 
any other person in whom you are interested, without telling anything 



278 ENGLISH 

in so many words concerning character. Make your description of 
the person's appearance reveal his character. 

1 A peddler 12 A good comrade 

2 A tramp 13 A person ready to resist 

3 A farmer any one 

4 A milkman 14 A hard worker 

5 A railroad engineer 15 One who is very determined 

6 A factory worker 16 A dreamer 

7 A soldier 17 A frivolous person 

8 A natural leader 18 One who is dishonest 

9 A minister 19 One who is naturally kind 

10 An old man 20 A methodical person 

11 A careless person 21 An ideal leader 

TELL OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 

The influences that have made a person are always 
worth considering. Every one is, in part, the result of 
his own efforts and, in part, the result of circumstances. 

Among the influences that make character, educa- 
tion is most prominent. To say that a person is a 
graduate of an institution of learning is to say something 
very definite about him. He may be either good or 
bad in character, but the fact of his education counts 
for much. 

The circumstances or experiences of life count for 
as much as does education. When we say that Long- 
fellow was a graduate of Bowdoin College, and that he 
was a Professor of Languages in Harvard, we tell much 
concerning Longfellow's scholarly nature and his 
interest in language and literature. When we say that 
Burns was born amid scenes of peasant life, and that 
he grew to manhood among the rude but honest and 
simple people of the Scotch countryside, we tell a great 
deal concerning him. 



1 


John Greenleaf Whittier 


11 


2 


William Cullen Bryant 


12 


3 


Nathaniel Hawthorne 


13 


4 


James Russell Lowell 


14 


5 


Mark Twain 


15 


6 


Henry Wadsworth Long- 


16 




fellow 


17 


7 


Oliver Wendell Holmes 


18 


8 


Ralph Waldo Emerson 


19 


9 


Harriet Beecher Stowe 


20 


10 


Edgar Allan Poe 


21 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 279 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 
Write part of a character sketch of one of the following, or of some 
other person who interests you. In your sketch emphasize the educa- 
tion, the circumstances, and the influences that were most deeply 
influential in shaping character. 

A prominent alumnus 

A scholarly teacher 

A good workman 

A good salesman 

An expert mechanic 

A good singer 

A good violinist 

A good chess player 

A good story writer of to-day 

A prize winner 

A good cook 

EMPHASIZE YOUR PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS 

Last of all, in writing a character sketch, emphasize 
your personal impressions of the character. In con- 
nection with this you may, if you wish, tell what some 
one else has said, and then add your own opinion. In 
this final expression of opinion, be extremely personal. 
Base what you say on emotion rather than on hard, 
cold facts. 

A PERSONAL IMPRESSION 

See how personally, and how emotionally, Wash- 
ington Irving ends his sketch of The Royal Poet, King 
James I of Scotland: 

Others may dwell on the illustrious deeds of James as a war- 
rior and a legislator; but I have delighted to view him merely 
as the companion of his fellow-men, the benefactor of the 
human heart, stooping from his high estate to sow the sweet 



280 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



flowers of poetry and song in the paths of common life. He was 
the first to cultivate the vigorous and hardy plant of Scottish 
genius. . . . He contributed greatly to improve the national 
music ; and traces of his tender sentiment and elegant taste are 
said to exist in those witching airs, still piped among the wild 
mountains and lonely glens of Scotland. He has thus con- 
nected his image with whatever is most gracious and endear- 
ing in the national character; he has embalmed his memory in 
song, and floated his name down to after ages in the rich streams 
of Scottish melody. The recollection of these things was kin- 
dling at my heart, as I paced the silent scene of his imprison- 
ment. I have visited Vaucluse with as much enthusiasm as a 
pilgrim would visit the shrine at Loretto; but I have never 
felt more poetical devotion than when contemplating the old 
tower and the little garden at Windsor, and musing over the 
romantic loves of the Lady Jane, and the Royal Poet of Scot- 
land. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING PERSONAL FEELING 

Write the last paragraph of a character sketch of one of the follow- 
ing, or of any other person who interests you: 

Emphasize your own feelings concerning the character. Quote, if you 
wish, from what some one else has said. Give full expression to your 
own views. 



1 


John Paul Jones 


14 


An influential teacher 


2 


General Francis Marion 


15 


A little child 


3 


Paul Revere 


16 


A friendly person 


4 


The Marquis de Lafayette 


17 


A wise adviser 


5 


George Washington 


18 


A successful person 


6 


John Hancock 


19 


A skilful person 


7 


Patrick Henry 


20 


An old person whom 


8 


Benjamin Franklin 




admire 


9 


General Nathaniel Greene 


21 


An altruist 


10 


"Mad" Anthony Wayne 


22 


A musician 


11 


Your father 


23 


An author 


12 


Your mother 


24 


A sympathetic person 


13 


A boon companion 


25 


A popular leader 



you 



LESSON XXXV 

WRITING A MEDITATION 

A MEDITATION BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 

"Surely of all smells in the world, the smell of many trees is 
the sweetest and most fortifying. The sea has a rude, pistoling 
sort of odor, that takes you in the nostrils like snuff, and carries 
with it a fine sentiment of open water and tall ships; but the 
smell of a forest, which comes nearest to this in tonic quality, 
surpasses it by many degrees in the quality of softness. Again, 
the smell of the sea has little variety, but the smell of a forest 
is infinitely changeful; it varies with the hour of the day not in 
strength merely, but in character; and the different sorts of 
trees, as you go from one zone of the wood to another, seem to 
live among different kinds of atmosphere. Usually the resin 
of the fir predominates." . 

In such words Robert Louis Stevenson, in An Inland 
Voyage, tells of his delight in the odor of the trees, — a 
delight that he had felt many times and that gave him 
pleasure to record. As he wrote he must have thought 
of the forest in which he had been, — perhaps of many 
forests. He goes on to say much more concerning 
trees. Among other things he says: 

"I wish our way had always lain among woods. Trees are 
the most civil society. . . . Acres and acres full of such pa- 
triots contiguously rooted, their green tops billowing in the 
wind, their stalwart younglings pushing up about their knees: 
a whole forest, healthy and beautiful, giving color to the light, 
giving perfume to the air. what is this but the most imposing 
piece in nature's repertory?" 
281 



282 ENGLISH 

It was probably almost as delightful for Stevenson 
to write of his love for the trees and the forest as it was 
for him to ramble among beautiful trees, or to go 
through some old forest. 

A MEDITATION IS WRITTEN PURELY FOR SELF-EXPRESSION 

Sometimes we write to tell the news; sometimes to 
tell a story; sometimes we try to convince people that 
our way of looking at things is wise; sometimes we 
write to give our readers a picture of what we have seen, 
whether that be a dress, a hat, a room, or a landscape; 
sometimes we explain what may puzzle others. 

When we write a meditation such as Stevenson wrote, 
we do not write specifically for any of the purposes just 
named. We write largely for the sake of self-expression. 
We all have experienced or felt something that deeply 
interests us, and we wish to interest some one else, — 
most of all, to communicate our emotions. 

A MEDITATION CARRIES PERSONALITY 

The most common opportunity for communicating 
emotion comes when we write letters. If we write 
nothing else but a sort of diary of what we have done, 
we may deeply interest those to whom we write, for our 
correspondents wish to know what we have been doing. 
If we go further and let our readers know just what 
we have been thinking about, and just what emotions 
we have on various subjects, we come into closer rela- 
tions with our correspondents. We express individual 
personality and are, as it were, with our friends. 

When people read Stevenson's essays, or the essays 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 283 

of any other good writers, — such as Oliver Wendell 
Holmes, Charles Dudley Warner, or Henry van Dyke, 
they have a sense of personal presence. They feel as 
though the writer were with them in person. That is 
the effect you wish to produce when you write a medi- 
tation. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A MEDITATION 

Write a friendly letter, in one paragraph of which you express your 
feelings on one of the following subjects, or on any other subject that 
interests you. 



1 


A sunset 


11 


Clouds 


2 


A path 


12 


A little brook 


3 


A river 


13 


The seashore 


4 


A bay 


14 


A lake 


5 


A harbor 


15 


Snow crystals 


6 


A mountain 


16 


Frost on the window 


7 


A valley 


17 


Autumn leaves 


8 


An old house 


18 


Spring flowers 


9 


A village 


19 


A stormy day 





A country road 


20 


A great wind 



WRITE ON SUBJECTS THAT IMPRESS YOU 

Every day you see things that lead you to medita- 
tion, — things that: 

1 Make you wonder. 

2 Make you laugh. 

3 Make you admire beauty. 

4 Make you feel deep respect or awe. 

5 Make you have a sense of mystery. 

6 Make you feel sympathetic or tender. 

7 Make you feel sorrowful. 

8 Make you feel anger. 



284 ENGLISH 

9 Make you feel contempt. 
10 Make you have fear. 

Much of the pleasure of life lies in thinking about 
the subjects that fall under the divisions just named. 
As you go through a day such subjects make the deepest 
impressions upon you. They reveal to you your real 
self. By writing on such subjects you can reveal your 
real self to your friends. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE:* EXPRESSING WONDER 

Write a meditation on one of the following subjects, or on any other 
subject that interests you. Express your emotions, particularly your 
wonder, so that your friends will feel as you do. 



1 


The making of a high 


11 


Organ music 




building 


12 


A violin selection 


2 


The effect of dynamite 


13 


The sound of a murmuring 


3 


The drilling of a well 




brook 


4 


The action of a compass 


14 


Wheat bending in the wind 


5 


An X-ray photograph 


15 


A crowd of people 


6 


A telescope 


16 


An open fire 


7 


A microscope 


17 


Shadows on mountains 


8 


An orchestra 


18 


A spider-web 


9 


Moving-pictures 


19 


Kittens 





An aeroplane 


20 


A mouse's nest 


MAKE FULL USE OF DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION 



In order to develop your subject, use both description 
and explanation. Write just enough description to 
present a picture of your subject. Do not make your 
description so long that it will be more important than 
your thought. 

Write just enough to make your thought clear. 
Explain how your subject acts, or why it acts, so that 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 



285 



your reader will know what aroused your emotions. 
Do not make your explanation so long that it will 
become more important than your thought. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EXPRESSING A SENSE OF BEAUTY 

Write a meditation on one of the following subjects, or on any other 
subject that interests you. Express your sense of beauty. Make use 
of description in order to emphasize your thought. 

11 



9 
10 



An opening in a forest 

A park in a city 12 

A view on a foggy day 13 

A scene from a window 14 

A view from a high point 15 

A scene at a dance 16 

The interior of a church 17 

A beautiful picture 18 

The exterior of a house 19 

Clouds at sunrise 20 



A graceful bridge 

A winding road 

Waves in the sunlight 

A star-lit night 

Moonlight in the country 

Beautiful horses 

A stately building 

The moon shining on water 

An oriental rug 

Beautiful carvings 



TELL STORIES AS A MEANS OF EMPHASIS 

If you wish, you may tell short stories or anecdotes 
to develop your thought. Tell stories in such a way 
that they will be subordinate to the thought, and will 
not be important in themselves. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A HUMOROUS MEDITATION 

Write a humorous meditation on one of the following subjects. Use 
description, explanation, or story-telling as an aid in developing your 
thought. 



1 


At a country fair 


8 


In the automobile 


2 


Going to the " movies " 


9 


In the lunch-room 


3 


At the auction 


10 


In the store window 


4 


In the schoolroom 


11 


The bright pupil 


5 


On the street 


12 


The hungry person 


6 


At the railroad station 


13 


The one who always inter- 


7 


On the train 




rupts 



28( 




ENGLISH 




14 


The meek freshman 


18 


Giggling girls 


15 


The proud senior 


19 


The one who forgets 


16 


The important visitor 


20 


Little brothers 


17 


My angry parent 


21 


Overgrown 



USE ARGUMENT ONLY AS A MEANS OF EMPHASIS 

Sometimes a written meditation has place for gentle 
argument, — not for cold, logical argument for the sake 
of convincing, but for mild argument to emphasize 
your thought. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EXPRESSING SYMPATHY 
Write on one of the following subjects, or on any other subject that 
interests you. Express sympathy or pity. Use description, explana- 
tion, story-telling, or argument as an aid in developing thought. 



1 


A blind man 




11 


A baby 


2 


A cripple 




12 


Hens in a crate 


3 


An orphan 




13 


A muzzled dog 


4 


A sick person 




14 


An elephant in a circus 


5 


A deaf person 




15 


A chained parrot 


6 


An injured person 


16 


Overworked horses 


7 


A stray dog 




17 


A stray cat 


8 


A trapped animal 


18 


Flies on fly paper 


9 


A bird 


^ 


19 


Goldfish 


10 


A fish 




20 


Mice 



PRESERVE PROPER DIGNITY 

Personal dignity, such as characterizes the writer, 
should characterize a meditation. That dignity should 
be most notable when the subject is noble or lofty. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING ON A LOFTY SUBJECT 
Write a meditation on one of the following subjects, or on any other 
subject that interests you. Express your best self. Write in language 
that will harmonize with your thought. 

1 The stars 3 A thunder-storm 

2 The ocean 4 The mountains 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 287 



5 


The world of the telescope 


11 


Cliffs by the sea 


6 


A beautiful sunset 


12 


Solitude 


7 


A moonlit night 


13 


Loyalty to country 


8 


Beautiful music 


14 


Desire to give service 


9 


A crystal 


15 


A sense of worship 


10 


A great cave 


16 


Companionship with Nature 



7 ORAL EXERCISE: WRITING A MEDITATION 

What characteristics of the writers are made evident in the follow- 
ing selections? 

"Not to mention riches and honor, even food and raiment 
are not to be come at without the toil of the hands and sweat 
of the brows. Providence furnishes materials but expects 
that we should work them up ourselves. The earth must be 
labored before it gives its increase, and when it is forced into 
its several products, how many hands must they pass through 
before they are fit for use ! Manufacturers, trade, and agri- 
culture naturally employ more than nineteen parts of the 
species in twenty: and as for those who are not obliged to 
labor, by the condition in which they are born, they are more 
miserable than the rest of mankind unless they indulge them- 
selves in that voluntary labor which goes by the name of ex- 
ercise." — Addison's Sir Roger de Coverley Papers. 

"On Sunday afternoon the city pours forth its legions to 
breathe the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine of the parks and 
rural environs. Satirists may say what they please about the 
rural enjoyments of a . . . citizen on Sunday, but to me there 
is something delightful in beholding the poor prisoner of the 
crowded and dusty city enabled thus to come forth once a 
week and throw himself upon the green bosom of nature. He 
is like a child restored to the mother's breast; and they who 
first spread out these noble parks and magnificent pleasure 
grounds which surround this huge metropolis, have done at 
least as much for its health and morality as if they had ex- 
pended the amount of cost in hospitals, prisons and peni- 
tentiaries." — Irving's Sketch-Book. 



LESSON XXXVI 

GIVING AN OPINION 

THE WORLD WANTS ADVICE 

"Say, can you tell me a good place for a camp?" 
"Where would you go for a canoe trip, if you were I?" 
"What's the best place for a hockey match?" 
"Do you know a good book to read?" 

What a lot of advice the world wishes ! Some one is 
always asking our opinion, — our advice. The request 
implies a compliment, for it shows faith in our wisdom. 

That faith in our wisdom will be increased if we give 
answers wisely. The world has the highest respect for 
any person whose opinion is almost always worth find- 
ing out. He is a wise man indeed who never gives an 
opinion that will lead others astray. 

On the other hand, that faith in our wisdom will be 
decreased if we give answers that lead people into mis- 
fortune. No one has much respect for any one whose 
opinions are almost always wrong. 

The object of this lesson is to give directions for the 
speaking, or the writing, of well-based opinions that 
will be of benefit to other people. 

SPEAK FROM ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE 

In giving an opinion, as in saying or writing anything 
else, be strictly honest. Do not pretend to know more 
than you actually do know. Confine yourself to the 

288 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 289 

facts in the case. If you have no information on a 
subject, say so immediately. If you give your opinion 
as a mere hazard or guess, say plainly that your opinion 
is nothing more than a guess. Say that it is just as 
likely to be wrong as it is to be right. 

Confine yourself strictly to the facts in the case. 
Do not exaggerate, nor lead to a false impression that 
anything is better, or worse, or more difficult, or more 
expensive, or cheaper, or more " anything " than it 
really is. Tell the truth and nothing but the truth. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: GIVING AN OPINION WITHOUT EXAGGERATION 

Give a limited opinion, without any exaggeration whatever, on one 
of the following subjects or on some other subject that interests you: 

1 What college do you think 6 What is the best kind of 

the best college for you? stove? 

2 What is a good book to 7 Is a fireplace worth while? 

read? 8 What methods of advertis- 

3 Where is the best place for a ing are most effective? 

football game? 9 What is the best bicycle? 

4 What is the best kind of 10 What is your opinion of 

canoe? wool embroidery? 

5 What is the best kind of 11 What are the best flowers 

fountain pen? for a small garden? 

CONSIDER BOTH SIDES OF A QUESTION 

Every question has two sides. There is a saying: 
that there is something bad in the best of us, and some- 
thing good in the worst of us. When you are asked to 
give an opinion on any subject, you are really asked to 
consider both sides of the subject, — the good side and 
the bad side, — and to draw a conclusion. Therefore, 
in giving an opinion, show that you have considered 



290 ENGLISH 

both sides. Admit frankly anything that is bad, and 
emphasize strongly anything that is good. 

Suppose some one asks you : " Where is the best place 
for skating ?" You may answer: " Turner's Pond is 
the best place for skating. It's a hard place to reach, 
and it takes a long time to go there, but the ice is per- 
fectly safe and isn't a bit rough. Besides, not many go 
there and there is plenty of room." 

Such an answer, given in colloquial or every-day 
English, fulfils all the requirements for the proper giving 
of an opinion. 

The first sentence repeats the words of the question. 
The remainder of the answer shows that you considered 
both sides of the question, and that you arrived at a 
definite conclusion. 

In writing an opinion follow these directions: 

1 In your first sentence repeat the words of the 

question. 

2 Show that you considered both sides of the case. 

3 Admit whatever may lead others to think differ- 

ently than you do. 

4 Give strong emphasis to your own opinion. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: CONSIDERING BOTH SIDES 

Write an answer to one of the following questions, or to any other 
question that interests you. Repeat the words of the question. Con- 
sider both sides of the case. Admit opposing facts or views. Empha- 
size your own opinion: 

1 What is the best kind of 3 What course of study do you 

magazine for high school advise me to take? 

students to read? 4 At what hotel should I stop? 

2 What is the best kind of 5 What is the best material for 



tent for a canoe trip? a new outing dress? 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 291 

6 What is the most comfort- 9 What is the best diction- 

able bed? ary for school use? 

7 What is the best way to 10 What is the best kind of 

make jelly? lunch? 

8 What is the best candy? 11 What is the best baseball? 

GIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORTING DETAILS 

An opinion is seldom worth much, unless supported 
by details that tend to prove that it is a wise opinion. 
Then, too, the opinion of one person is not as valuable 
as that of another person. It may be necessary for 
one person to give more details than another need 
give. The opinion that a trained athlete expresses 
when he sees an athletic exhibition, is much more likely 
to be a well-considered opinion than is the opinion of a 
spectator who has had no training in athletics. Who- 
ever you are, and whether or not you have a reputation 
that makes your opinion worth listening to, reinforce 
your opinion by giving supporting details. If your sub- 
ject is of slight importance, give few details. If it is 
highly important, give many details. 

If some one asks which of several stores it is advisable 
to patronize, you may answer briefly, if the purchase is 
to be of slight importance; or at great length if the 
purchase is to be important. If some one asks you to 
select the best composition from a number of school 
compositions, you should give enough details to show 
that you have considered all the compositions, and that 
you have made a wise selection. 

In giving an opinion add supporting details in accor- 
dance with the importance of your subject-matter. Do 
not give too many details when expressing an opinion 



292 ENGLISH 

on a trivial matter, and do not give too few details 
when expressing an opinion on an important matter. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING SUFFICIENT DETAILS 

Imagine that some one has written to you asking you to express your 
opinion on one of the following questions, or on any other question that 
interests you. Write an answer in proper letter form. Add as many 
supporting details as the subject demands. 

1 Do you advise me to go on a canoe trip, or to camp two 

weeks in one place? 

2 What is the best amusement for a dozen small children at 

a party? 

3 What kind of skates are the best for use in playing 

hockey? 

4 What is the best kind of Christmas present? 

5 What is the best diet for a football player? 

6 What is the best way to memorize selections? 

7 What is the best time of day for a baseball game? 

8 What is the best wood for a baseball bat? 

9 What kind of pocket knife is most useful? 
10 What is the best kind of perfume? 

GIVE DEFINITE EXAMPLES 

Sometime, instead of presenting details, and some- 
times in addition to presenting details, it is good to 
give specific examples to illustrate your meaning. In 
this connection a specific example is a definite illustra- 
tion in support of an opinion. 

Someone may ask you to advise him whether to study 
law or medicine. Express your opinion first, and then 
add details that will show the interest or the value of 
the work that you recommend. Then, to enforce your 
point still further, tell about the happiness or the suc- 
cessful career of some man eminent in the profession 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 293 

that you recommend. Your opinion, with the details 
that you give, and with the very specific example that 
you add, will be most convincing. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE 

Imagine that some one has written to you asking your opinion on 
one of the following questions, or on any other question that interests 
you. Write an answer in proper letter form. Give as many support- 
ing details as the subject demands. Add a specific example that will 
reinforce your opinion: 

1 What are the advantages of studying law? 

2 What sort of story is best for a school paper? 

3 What are the advantages of studying medicine? 

4 What is the best food for canary-birds? 

5 What are the advantages of going to college? 

6 What is the best way to select "Editors" for a school. 

paper ? 

7 What are the advantages of a high-school education? 

8 What is the best way to take care of gold fish? 

9 What are the advantages of entering business? 
10 What is the best method of taking notes? 

REFER TO AUTHORITY 

Since the opinion of an ordinary person usually does 
not carry great weight, it is wise to refer to some one 
who is a real authority. 

If you fell into a dispute concerning a rule in algebra 
you would refer to a text-book in algebra rather than 
to the unsupported opinion of any member of your class. 

In every kind of work there are men who are thor- 
oughly informed, whose words are authoritative. Such 
persons have made public speeches, or have written in 
periodicals, or in authoritative books, including, of 
course, encyclopaedias and other works of reference. 
It is not at all difficult to find what they have said. 



294 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

When you express your opinion on any subject of 
importance, reinforce your opinion by referring to 
some real authority. The greater use you make of 
reference to authority, the greater respect you will 
gain for your opinions. A person who makes constant 
use of reference to authority checks himself from mak- 
ing serious mistakes, and thereby increases respect for 
his own opinions. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: REFERRING TO AUTHORITY 

Imagine that some one has written to you asking your opinion on 
one of the following questions, or on any other question that interests 
you. Write an answer in proper letter form. Add as many support- 
ing details as the subject demands. Give a specific example, if you 
think best. Then make some reference to an authority who will rein- 
force your opinion. 

1 What kinds of subjects are best for school compositions? 

2 What is the best light by which to study? 

3 What is the cause of the Mississippi floods? 

4 What is the best way to pose for a picture ? 

5 What plays of Shakespeare are most worth reading? 

6 What is the best way to learn to dance well? 

7 What preliminary training is necessary for a baseball player ? 

8 What is the best sort of subject for a debate? 

9 What modern book would make a good present for a boy 

or for a girl fourteen years old? 

10 What is the best kind of play for school production? 

11 Are the "movies" beneficial or harmful? 

12 How can the number of automobile accidents be decreased ? 

13 Are there too many or too few holidays? 

14 Should pupils, during the months when they are attend- 

ing school, accept employment in stores, offices, and 
factories ? 

15 Is it worth while to collect stamps? 

16 What sort of cartoons are worthy of praise? 

17 Who wrote the best detective stories? 



LESSON XXXVII 

ENFORCING OPINION 
MAKE YOUR THOUGHT EMPHATIC 

"I remember almost every word he said. He had a way 
of speaking that made me listen." 

"I couldn't forget the story if I tried to. It was different 
from any other story I ever read." 

It is not easy to make the one to whom you speak or 
write think about what you say. You must make your 
thought strike home. You must be interesting and 
emphatic. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: EMPHASIS IN ADVERTISING 

1 Clip from periodicals one or two advertisements that are unusually 
emphatic. Tell what gives the emphasis. 

2 Name five methods of making an advertisement effective in word- 
ing. Explain the five methods to the members of your class. Illustrate 
every method by a quotation from an advertisement. 

USE REPETITION 

"Fire ! fire ! fire \" some one cries when he discovers a 
blaze in a building. He repeats his words for emphasis. 
When you try to memorize a selection you repeat the 
selection again and again. Repetition makes an im- 
pression and aids you to remember. Repeat either 
words or thoughts when you write, and you may in- 
crease emphasis. 

295 



296 ENGLISH 

If you merely repeat words, you may produce 
a monotonous effect, but if you repeat thoughts in new 
words you may gain good effect. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRODUCING EMPHASIS BY REPETITION 

Write a paragraph on one of the following subjects. Froduce em- 
phasis by repetition. 

Vacation is a time of de- 
light 
The value of good position 
The use of book straps 
The effect of deep breathing 
Correct speech 
Advantages of high-school life 
The use of a typewriter 
Unconscious selfishness 
Lend a hand 
The fly in the ointment 
Work, for the night is coming 

GIVE SPECIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS 

A general statement has slight emphasis, unless the 
reader thinks of specific illustrations that support it. 
Do not expect a reader, unaided, to think of specific 
illustrations. He may not think of any at all. Give 
at least one strong specific illustration for every general 
statement that you make. In the following paragraph 
the first sentence is a general statement. It is sup- 
ported by a specific example. 

It is possible for even the youngest student to win high 
honors. Three years ago the winner of the championship in 
our interclass debating was Richard Leland, — then a fresh- 
man. 



1 


The need of promptness 


10 


2 


The value of neatness 




3 


Care in penmanship 


11 


4 


The importance of cleanli- 


12 




ness 


13 


5 


Politeness is worth while 


14 


6 


One should be kind to ani- 


15 




mals 


16 


7 


The sunset is beautiful 


17 


8 


Moonlight gives a charm- 


18 




ing effect 


19 


9 


Haste makes waste 


20 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 297 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRODUCING EMPHASIS BY GIVING A SPECIFIC 
ILLUSTRATION 

Write a paragraph on one of the following subjects. In the first part 
of your paragraph make a general statement. Emphasize the general 
statement by giving a specific illustration. 

1 Practice makes perfect. 

2 Look before you leap. 

3 Gather rosebuds while you may. 

4 Honesty is the best policy. 

5 It's sl long road that has no turning. 

6 Labor conquers everything. 

7 A miss is as good as a mile. 

8 Pack your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, 

smile. 

9 A fool and his money are soon parted. 

10 Don't look for the gold at the end of the rainbow. 

MAKE A QUOTATION 

A specific illustration may be a quotation of any 
kind, whether from books, periodicals, letters, or casual 
speech. It will have power in proportion to the 
authority of the person whom you quote. 

Every one knows that our alumni keep up interest in the 
school. A letter from the Secretary of our graduates now in 
Cornell — " Dutch" Hinton, — our great pitcher two years ago, — 
says: "We get together every week and talk over old times. 
Tell us who is planning to come to Cornell, and we'll help him 
get started." 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRODUCING EMPHASIS BY MAKING 
A QUOTATION 

Write a paragraph or two on one of the topics named below. Make 
a general statement, and then enforce it by making a quotation. 

1 Longfellow loved children. 3 Whittier wrote against 

2 Lowell loved natural beauty. slavery. 



298 ENGLISH 

4 Bryant was a lover of the 12 Our State has many places of 

woods. historic interest. 

5 Poe wrote most musical 13 Our graduates have won high 

verse. honors. 

6 Hawthorne wrote about 14 Laboratory work is interest- 

old New England. ing. 

7 Emerson wrote many wise 15 Life is full of opportunities. 

sayings. 16 Our library has interesting 

8 Thoreau was a keen ob- books. 

server. 17 The weather is unusual. 

9 John Burroughs was a stu- 18 The school has seen many 

dent of nature. changes. 

10 Walt Whitman admired 19 Prominent people are inter- 

Lincoln, ested in our school. 

11 Training is necessary for 20 Study fits one for work in 

athletic success. later life. 



GIVE MOST SPACE TO WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT 

When you make an important statement give it a 
comparatively large amount of space. A reader 
assumes that you give most space to your most im- 
portant thought. 

In the following paragraphs the writer emphasizes 
the value of order during a fire drill: 

The rapidity with which the students left the building on 
October 7, when the fire alarm sounded, — this time for a real 
fire, though a slight one, caused by the upsetting of a can of 
oil in the forge shop, — shows how easily every one could escape 
if there were a serious fire. 

Ten seconds after the ringing of the third gong, lines of pupils 
were marching out of both entrances to the building. 

The teachers led their classes to places far from the school 
and held the lines in order. 

When the firemen came they found the roadways cleared so 
that the fire-engines could come into place without difficulty. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 299 

During the time the firemen were at work, the pupils re- 
mained in line, making no noise, and creating no confusion. 

When the fire had been put out, teachers were stationed in 
the building to aid in the proper passing of lines, and all re- 
turned to their rooms. 

If a serious fire occurs we shall certainly escape. 

WRITE THE PRINCIPAL THOUGHT WHERE IT WILL 
BE MOST EMPHATIC 

If you place a thought first in a sentence, or in a 
paragraph you emphasize that thought, because you 
make it appeal to your readers immediately. 

A repetition of last year's victory at Princeton is the hope of 
every student. 

If you place your principal thought last you can 
produce a climax, and thus leave a strong impression 
on the reader's mind. 

There was a giggle, then another, — then all eyes turned up- 
ward. There stood the chairman looking surprised and solemn 
and wondering. Then he, too, looked up, and his features 
relaxed into a smile. There above him, perched on the mould- 
ing near the ceiling, was a tiny mouse, the centre of observation. 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING THE PRINCIPAL 
THOUGHT 

Write on any one of the following topics. Place your principal 
thought wherever it will be most emphatic. Give proper proportion 
of space to the divisions of your subject. 

1 The care of a watch. 6 How to measure the height. 

2 Proper food for a dog. of a tree. 

3 How to make a canary-bird 7 Riding horseback. 

happy. 8 The use of a camera. 

4 The way to sharpen a knife. 9 How a baseball is made. 

5 The use of a compass. 10 The best kind of tennis racket. 



300 ENGLISH 

11 The best kind of lead-pencil. 16 What I intend to become. 

12 How to care for a horse. 17 The work of a surveyor. 

13 My favorite study. 18 The effect of late hours. 

14 Driving out the mosquito. 19 Is slang harmful? 

15 Simplified spelling. 20 Keeping the Fourth of July. 

WRITE BRIEFLY 

Brevity gives emphasis. A short word is usually 
more emphatic than a long word; a short sentence 
more emphatic than a long sentence; and a short para- 
graph more emphatic than a long paragraph. 

Hurrah! Hurrah! Good news has arrived! Military drill 
will be suspended until further notice ! No more "Hip ! Two, 
three, four ! Column right ! — March ! " What a relief ! 

But — just a minute, please. Will our backs become less 
erect, our walk less good, our positions less manly, because we 
have no "second looey" to order us about? 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: FINDING EXAMPLES OF EMPHASIS THROUGH 

BREVITY 

1 Clip from periodicals any advertisement that has emphasis 

because of short words, short sentences, or short para- 
graphs. Explain just what thought has been made em- 
phatic. 

2 Find, in any book, a passage that has been made emphatic 

by the use of short words, short sentences, or short para- 
graphs. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRODUCING EMPHASIS BY WRITING SHORT 
WORDS, SHORT SENTENCES, OR SHORT PARAGRAPHS 

Write an article on one of the topics named below. Make your article 
emphatic by writing short words, short sentences, or short paragraphs. 

1 We must win the game. 4 Every one's help is needed. 

2 Every one must cheer. 5 Now is the time to work. 

3 We must sell every ticket. 6 All are invited. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 301 

7 The examinations will soon 14 Keep the ball rolling. 

be here. 15 Many hands make light 

8 Never give up. work. 

9 Lend a hand. 16 You can't set the river on 

10 Read good books. fire. 

11 Knowledge is power. 17 Look up ! not down. 

12 A stitch in time saves nine. 18 The pennies make the dollars. 

13 The child is father of the 19 Do your best every day. 

man. 20 Hitch your wagon to a star. 

USE COMPARISON 

When you go to the store to buy silk, or when you 
wish to match a piece of lumber for cabinetwork, you 
emphasize the request you make by showing a sample 
that is somewhat like what you wish. You can enforce 
any statement by showing likeness between two sub- 
jects. 

Last year, at the beginning of the school term, we were hope- 
less of winning honors in debating, for our best debaters had 
left school. So far as we knew, there were no debaters to take 
the vacant places. We were like an army without officers. 
Then, little by little, we developed a team — and won. 

This year it is the same, for once again our best debaters have 
left us. We are again an army without officers. 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRODUCING EMPHASIS BY COMPARISON 

Write a paragraph on one of the subjects named below. Develop a 
comparison that will strengthen your principal statement. 

1 The management of a team and the control of an army. 

2 Flying in an aeroplane and skating on ice. 

3 Reading a book and looking at pictures. 

4 Planning a composition and proving a solution in geom- 

etry. 



302 ENGLISH 

5 Playing football and carrying out strategy in warfare. 

6 Writing a composition and writing an advertisement. 

7 Reading and travelling. 

8 Poetry and music. 

9 A novel and a play at a theatre. 
10 A debate and a lawsuit. 

USE CONTRAST 

A white mat placed around a picture makes the pic- 
ture stand out noticeably. The contrast between the 
picture and the whiteness of the mat emphasizes the 
picture. You can enforce your thought by drawing a 
contrast. 

Some students call teachers tyrants because the teachers 
insist that things shall be done the way they wish them to be 
done. A tyrant is one whose interests are wholly selfish. Our 
teachers ask us to work, — "to slave," — to study for our own 
good. They demand nothing for themselves and try to give 
us all that they have. Teachers are far from being tyrants; 
they are benefactors. 

9 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PRODUCING EMPHASIS BY CONTRAST 

Write a paragraph on one of the subjects named below. Develop a 
contrast that will strengthen the presentation of your own thought. 

1 The reasons for success and the reasons for failure. 

2 City and country. 

3 An indoor life and an outdoor life. 

4 The one who exercises and the one who does not. 

5 The one who plans and the one who does not. 

6 The one who hurries and the one who takes time. 

7 Reading worthless books and reading good literature. 

8 Following the trainer's directions and doing as one pleases. 

9 Saving and spending. 

10 Sociability and aloofness. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 303 

AVOID MONOTONY OF EFFECT 

Avoid tiresome monotony of style. Develop your 
paragraphs in different lengths and in different ways. 
Form your sentences so that some will be short and 
some long, some of one kind, and some of another. 
Tell anecdotes, make quotations, and give specific 
illustrations. In general, do all that you can to avoid 
monotony, and to add strength to what you say. 

10 ORAL EXERCISE: ENFORCING OPINION 

What is the most important thought presented in the following para- 
graphs ? By what means did the writer make that thought emphatic ? 

"Our proper business is improvement. Let our age be the 
age of improvement. In a day of peace, let us advance the 
arts of peace and the works of peace. Let us develop the re- 
sources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institu- 
tions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, 
in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy 
to be remembered. Let us cultivate a true spirit of union and 
harmony. In pursuing the great objects which our condition 
points out to us, let us act under a settled conviction, and an 
habitual feeling, that these twenty-four States are one coun- 
try. Let our conceptions be enlarged to the circle of our 
duties. Let us extend our ideas over the whole of the vast 
field in which we are called to act. Let our object be, OUR 
COUNTRY, OUR WHOLE COUNTRY, AND NOTHING 
BUT OUR COUNTRY. And, by the blessing of God, 
may that country itself become a vast and splendid monument, 
not of oppression and terror, but of Wisdom, of Peace, and of 
Liberty, upon which the world may gaze with admiration 
forever!" 



LESSON XXXVIII 

CRITICISING 
CRITICISM AIMS TO DEVELOP WHAT IS GOOD 

Criticism is not alone the finding of fault. It is the 
finding of what is praiseworthy and of what is not, and 
the drawing of a conclusion as to whether the work that 
is criticised approaches or fails to approach an ideal. 

All criticism should be given thoughtfully, — for 
hastily given criticism, not based on a survey of merits 
and demerits in what is criticised, is likely to be unjust. 

Criticism should be kindly in nature. It should aim 
to find the truth, and to show that truth to others. It 
should never be a savage attack upon a person, a book, 
an action, or anything else. It should represent both 
wisdom and tact. 

Criticism should aim to encourage the creation of 
that which is good. It should be constructive instead 
of destructive. If it shows only what is faulty, it is 
destructive criticism. If it adds suggestions that lead 
to the creation of something good, it is constructive 
criticism. Just as it is necessary to tear down an old 
building, before one can build a new one, so in giving 
criticism it is sometimes necessary first to show faults 
or blemishes, and then to show how the work, or future 
work of the same kind, may be made good. 

TELL THE NECESSARY FACTS 

Before you offer criticism give your readers the neces- 
sary information concerning the facts in the case. If 

304 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 305 

you are to criticise a book, or a play, or anything else, 
tell enough concerning the book, or the play, or what- 
ever your subject is, so that your readers will know just 
what you are talking about. Every criticism needs 
a word or two, or a sentence or two, or in some 
cases a paragraph or two, to set forth the facts in the 
case. 

In the following introduction to a criticism the writer 
presents the facts on which his criticism is founded. 

The work of the school orchestra at the first of its series of 
concerts last Wednesday evening is worthy of special mention. 
After several weeks of patient training the orchestra was able 
to give a concert such as we have not before had the pleasure 
of hearing. 

After these few lines that name the subject of criti- 
cism and the event that called forth the criticism, the 
writer is ready to take up in detail a consideration of 
the subject introduced. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING INTRODUCTORY SENTENCES 

Write introductory sentences for a criticism on one of the following 
subjects: 



1 


A school play 


11 


A hat 


2 


A glee-club concert 


12 


A new style in dress 


3 


A football team 


13 


A new dance 


4 


A baseball team 


14 


A school song 


5 


A basket-ball game 


15 


A definite kind of furniture 


6 


A track meet 


16 


Wall paper 


7 


A debate 


17 


Shoes 


8 


A public-speaking contest 


18 


Playing the piano 


9 


A tennis match 


19 


Methods of fishing 


10 


A skating contest 


20 


Social customs 



306 ENGLISH 

EMPHASIZE AIMS OR IDEALS 

The aim in all good work is to come as close as possi- 
ble to a recognized standard of excellence or to achieve 
a desired result. In athletics the aim may be to equal 
or to surpass a record already made. In writing, the 
aim may be to create laughter, to awaken sympathy, 
to arouse admiration, or to stimulate thought. Base 
your criticism upon a knowledge of standards and a 
recognition of aims. 

Here is a criticism taken from a school paper. Notice 
that the criticism points at certain types of students, 
that it indicates standards and high aims, and that it 
devotes space to constructive suggestion. 

We always have two types of boys, — those who strive to 
benefit the school, and those who live only for themselves. In 
the first class are included those who belong to the honor so- 
cieties; in the second class are those who fail to hold member- 
ship in any club or in any team, and who are not always to be 
found on the side-lines cheering those who do work unselfishly 
for the school. 

How good it would be if all our pupils could belong to the 
first class ! How good it would be if every one were to try 
earnestly to do something for the school ! How good it would 
be if every one were to unite with others in making this school 
first in scholarship, first in athletics, and first in live and 
loyal school spirit. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE? BASING CRITICISM UPON STANDARDS 
AND AIMS 

Write a criticism on one of the subjects named below. In your 
criticism indicate what standards are to be attained. Point out that 
which is not praiseworthy, and give constructive suggestions. 

1 Preparation of home work 3 Reading the English clas- 

2 Studying a play sics 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 307 



4 


Writing at the blackboard 


13 


Knitting 


5 


Memorizing a selection 


14 


Crocheting 


6 


Reading aloud 


15 


Bowling 


7 


Making a recitation 


16 


Swimming under water 


8 


Speaking before the school 


17 


Paddling a canoe 


9 


Writing a short story 


18 


Shooting rapids 


10 


Reading a newspaper 


19 


Pitching in baseball 


11 


Starting in a race 


20 


Writing a term composi- 


12 


Making a dress 




tion 



CONSIDER ALL SIDES 

There are two sides to every question, — and some- 
times more than two. There are many possible ways 
of looking at any subject. A narrow-minded person 
sees only one side of a subject; a really wise person sees 
every side. When you write criticism, remember that 
your personal point of view is not the only one possible. 
Be broad-minded, be liberal, and be generous. Here is a 
schoolboy composition that aims to tell the whole truth : 

David Copperfield is at once Dickens's favorite work, and the 
one that the world acclaims his masterpiece. The novel is, in 
part, an autobiography, for some incidents are taken directly 
from Dickens's early experiences. In many of David's childish 
sorrows, boyish dreams, and manly purposes, we have a vision 
of Dickens's own life. 

. It is true that the book is exceedingly long and that, in a 
certain sense, it takes considerable effort to read it. It is also 
true that the plot is somewhat complicated and confusing. 
There are so many characters in the book that sometimes it is 
hard to remember where we have read about a character before. 

On the whole, nevertheless, David Copperfield is vitally in- 
teresting. Its characters seem like living beings. Reading 
the book is like having the experiences the story tells about. 
The book makes us laugh and cry. Altogether it gives thorough 
satisfaction. David Copperfield is a book that every one should 
read. 



308 ENGLISH 

BE QUICK TO RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE 

The object of criticism is to arouse appreciation of 
excellence, and to bring about the creation of what is 
worthy of praise. One of the best ways to accomplish 
these purposes is to praise what is good. Be eager 
to find excellence, and be prompt in giving excel- 
lence full recognition. Any one can find fault; it some- 
times takes a wise man to discern the good; it takes 
real genius to give constructive advice. 

Here is the way a school paper pointed out the value 
of the eligibility rules to which some had objected. 

The eligibility rules that set forth the conditions under which 
we may play on a school team are a good deal to blame for the 
failure of our teams to make good. Many of our best players 
fail to make seventeen and one-half points credit, and are not 
allowed to compete in any of the athletic work of the school. 
Some students, indeed, do not even take seventeen and one- 
half hours of work and are ineligible whether they succeed or 
fail in class work. 

In spite of all this, the elegibility rules are beneficial and 
should not be changed. They spur on the pupils to make good 
both in lessons and in sports. Pupils know that they must 
pass or remain out of athletics, and so they study all the harder. 
This leads to mental improvement and gives our team a higher 
type of membership. We must admit that the eligibility 
rules should be retained in their present form. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING EXCELLENCE 

Write a criticism of any book that you have read recently. In your 
criticism give high praise to some excellence that you find in the book. 

MAKE YOUR CRITICISM POINTED 

Vague, general criticism directed at nothing in par- 
ticular, has little force. Make your criticism detailed 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 309 

and pointed, by centralizing thought upon one thing at 
a time. Develop every point fully and in detail. Do 
not assume that your readers know all that you know. 
Give sufficient details to prove your case fully, and make 
your criticism lead to a definite statement so worded 
that your readers will remember it. 
Here is a short but very pointed favorable criticism : 

It is only fitting at this time to make some mention of the 
remarkable achievements of the team that is representing us 
on the gridiron. Its work, as in past years, has been character- 
ized by clean, honest conduct. Such demeanor cannot fail 
to bring its reward. We congratulate the team on its success 
and on its true sportsmanlike spirit. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING CRITICISM POINTED 
Write a paragraph of criticism on one of the following topics: 

1 Cheering at the game 10 The cultivation of school 

2 Coaching those who need spirit 

help 11 Politeness in school 

3 Faithful preparation of 12 Honesty in examinations 

written work 13 Snobbishness 

4 Good penmanship 14 Using translations 

5 The value of good English 15 Fooling the teacher 

6 The practical value of 16 Putting it off to the last 

modern languages 17 Reading good books 

7 Street behavior 18 Learning the use of tools 

8 Working for money 19 Giving help 

9 Writing for school publica- 20 The spirit of fair play 

tions 

MAKE FREE USE OF COMPARISON AND OF CONTRAST 

If you wish to buy a ribbon at the store, you find it 
easier to take with you a sample of the exact color that 
you desire, and to ask for ribbon exactly like the sample. 



310 ENGLISH 

Criticism is frequently a matter of comparison and 
of contrast. In your daily conversation you are always 
saying, "I can run faster than he can"; "He dances as 
well as his cousin does"; "My old shoes are comforta- 
ble, — the new ones are too tight." So, when you write 
criticism, you find it a good thing to compare one thing 
with another, or to show how one thing is different 
from another. 

In the following paragraph the writer uses the method 
of comparison: 

If any student were to come to this school day after day, 
and term after term, without exercising at all, he would soon 
lose his good health. Every student needs exercise of some 
sort, whether it be in school sports or in physical work, to make 
his blood circulate and to give him general good health. 

Our school needs exercise just as any one of its pupils does. 
The school may be said to exercise through its baseball team, 
its football team, its track athletics, its tennis, its swimming, 
and all its sports. It is a healthy school only when it does all 
these things, — when it exercises in the open air. 

For a few months the school has not carried on its usual 
exercises in the form of outdoor games. Just now the school- 
is somewhat in the condition of a student who has gone for 
some weeks without exercise. A new athletic season is about 
to begin. Are you going to help bring the school back to its 
normal health? 

5 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING COMPARISON OR CONTRAST 

Write a paragraph on one of the topics named below. Express 
criticism through the medium of comparison or of contrast. 

1 The course of study 4 Faithful study 

2 Support of literary organi- 5 Overdoing athletics 

zations 6 Subscribing to school peri- 

3 Preparation for college odicals 






FOR IMMEDIATE USE 311 

7 Cramming for examina- 10 The habit of hurry 

tions 11 The study of a foreign lan- 

8 Promptness guage 

9 Frequent absence 12 Writing letters 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: CRITICISING 
What principles of criticism are illustrated in the following: 

" The Lives of the Poets are, on the whole, the best of John- 
son's works. The narratives are as entertaining as any novel. 
The remarks on life and on human nature are eminently 
shrewd and profound. The criticisms are often excellent, 
and, even when grossly and provokingly unjust, well deserve 
to be studied; for, however erroneous they may be, they are 
never silly. They are the judgments of a mind trammeled by 
prejudice, and deficient in sensibility, but vigorous and acute. 
They, therefore, generally contain a portion of valuable truth 
which deserves to be separated from the alloy." — Macaulay's 
Life of Samuel Johnson. 

"I will say of Shakespeare's works generally, that we have 
no full impress of him there; even as full as we have of many 
men. His works are so many windows, through which we see 
a glimpse of the world that was in him. All his works seem, 
comparatively speaking, cursory, imperfect, written under 
cramping circumstances; giving only here and there a note 
of the full utterance of the man. Passages there are that come 
upon you like splendor out of heaven; bursts of radiance, il- 
luminating the very heart of the thing: you say, 'That is true, 
spoken once and forever; wheresoever and whensoever there 
is an open human sou!, that will be recognized as true ! ' Such 
bursts, however, make us feel that the surrounding matter is 
not radiant; that it is, in part, temporary, conventional. 
Alas ! Shakespeare had to write for the Globe playhouse : his 
great soul had to crush itself, as it could, into that and no 
other mould. It was with him, then, as it is with us all. No 
man works save under conditions." — Carlyle's Heroes and 
Hero-Worship. 



LESSON XXXIX 

PROVING A POINT 

PEOPLE MAKE MANY UNFOUNDED STATEMENTS 

" The moon is made of green cheese, and the stars are 
holes in the sky where the light shines through." 

These statements are no more foolish than are many 
statements that you hear every day. The only differ- 
ence is that you know at once that the absurd state- 
ments just made are not true. It is not so easy to 
see that many other general statements are likewise 
not true. If you listen carefully every day, you can 
make a list of a number of statements founded on no 
more substantial grounds than the two just made. 

If you are to prove a point, you must make a state- 
ment of belief, and then give sufficient support to prove 
the truth of what you have said. 

DEFINE THE TERMS 

Sometimes great differences of opinion exist because 
people do not have in mind the same definitions of 
terms. In order to prove the truth of a statement, you 
must define the terms you use. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: DEFINING TERMS 

Examine the following general statements. Tell what differences of 
opinion might arise through misunderstanding of the terms employed. 

1 This is a free country. 

2 Every one has equal rights. 

3 It is wrong to hurt any one. 

312 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 313 

4 Every one is entitled to liberty. 

5 All people are alike. 

6 Football should be prohibited. 

7 Amusements lead to wrong-doing. 

8 You should read a great deal. 

9 Every one should travel. 

10 Schools should teach practical subjects. 

KEEP TO THE POINTS AT ISSUE 

Even when people agree in an understanding of the 
terms they employ they sometimes think and speak 
along different lines of reasoning. They produce no 
sharp clash of opinion. When you try to prove an as- 
sertion, make certain that you and the persons to 
whom you speak agree upon the meanings of the words 
employed and upon just what points are the particular 
points at issue. 

PROVE ASSERTIONS BY GIVING SUFFICIENT SPECIFIC 
INSTANCES 

One of the best methods of proof is to give such a 
number of particular instances that the truth of your 
general assertion will be evident. 

If you make the assertion, " Dickens's novels have 
pathos/' you can prove that assertion by giving a num- 
ber of examples of pathos taken from Dickens's novels. 
If you give unusually excellent examples, or many 
such examples, you increase the strength of your proof. 

Usually it is necessary to give a number of examples 
in order to prove the truth of any assertion. One 
example may be inconclusive. 

If you tell of a certain child who has become highly 
proficient in playing the violin, you will not prove that 



314 ENGLISH 

all children can become equally proficient if they make 
the same effort. If you tell of one or two cases of sick- 
ness in a community, you will not prove that the com- 
munity is sickly. 

It takes a number of highly typical cases to prove 
the truth of any assertion. 

Give enough representative, specific cases to make 
the truth of what you say apparent beyond doubt. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PROVING BY GIVING SUFFICIENT 
REPRESENTATIVE SPECIFIC INSTANCES 

Try to establish the truth or the falsehood of one of the following 
statements by giving a number of representative, specific cases that 
support your view. 

1 The Ancient Mariner contains many references to moon- 

light. 

2 Ivanhoe tends to develop a spirit of honorable conduct. 

3 Treasure Island encourages the development of manhood. 

4 Sir Walter Scott was a hard-working man. 

5 Stevenson wrote much about romantic experiences. 

6 Vacations are beneficial. 

7 Schools help to make good citizens. 

8 Public lectures benefit a community. 

9 Self-indulgence is weakening. 

10 Honorable conduct is worth while. 

PROVE BY GIVING ONE EMPHATIC EXAMPLE 

Sometimes one very emphatic and powerful example 
will prove a general statement. 

The greatest danger that faces a school is that of panic if 
there should be a fire or an explosion. There is danger, too, 
in any hurried rush down stairs. In a certain school, during a 
rush at dismissal, a student tripped and fell headlong. Those 
coming after him trampled on him and injured him severely 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 315 

before they could stop. Surely, a life is worth many times the 
value of a few minutes. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PROVING BY GIVING ONE EMPHATIC 
EXAMPLE 

Prove the truth of one of the following assertions by giving one 
emphatic example. 

1 Dickens had great power in drawing character. 

2 Dickens sympathized with poor people. 

3 Dickens loved children. 

4 Oxygen is necessary for life. 

5 It's an ill wind that blows no one good. 

6 Where there's a will there's a way. 

7 He laughs best who laughs last. 

8 Turtles live to extreme old age. 

9 Birds return to their old nests. 
10 Some dogs are very intelligent. 

DIRECT AND INDIRECT EVIDENCE 

Evidence in support of a general statement may be 
direct or indirect. If you report what you yourself 
have seen or heard, or if you report what some one else 
worthy of belief has seen or heard, you give direct 
evidence. 

The testimony of an eye-witness is worthy of con- 
sideration at any time, although it is a common thing 
for an eye-witness to be mistaken. Rumor, gossip, and 
hearsay are seldom worth much. Base your proof upon 
direct, specific evidence gained by yourself, or by some 
one else whose testimony will be worth while. 

Indirect evidence is sometimes exceedingly strong. 
You see a conjurer take from a hat a rabbit, a bowl of 
water, and yards of paper ribbon. Your evidence Is 
direct, and yet you do not for a moment believe that he 



316 ENGLISH 

actually took all those things from the hat. Indirect 
evidence, — the knowledge that the hat could not possi- 
bly hold so much, and that conjurers perform feats 
by means of skilful tricks, — leads you to believe that 
the things did not come from the hat, but from some 
place of concealment. 

In such a case you accept indirect evidence as stronger 
than direct evidence. 

4 ORAL EXERCISE: DIRECT AND INDIRECT EVIDENCE 

Explain by what type of evidence you would attempt to prove the 
truth or the falsehood of one of the following statements: 

1 Rain is caused by the condensation of water vapor in the 

air. 

2 The clouds convey electricity. 

3 The rainbow is made by the refraction of light. 

4 A mirage is caused by reflection. 

5 Dew is caused by the condensation, on a cool surface, of 

moisture in the air. 

6 An echo is made by the reflection of waves of sound. 

7 Most caves were formed by the action of water. 

8 Coal was formed from the wood of ancient forests. 

9 The moon is uninhabited. 

10 The earth revolves around the sun. 

PROVE BY CALLING ATTENTION TO A "SIGN" 

Finger-prints made by a burglar, and afterward 
found to correspond exactly with the finger-prints of 
an arrested man, are clear indications that the man is 
guilty. The finger-prints are " signs" of the man's 
guilt. Any silent evidence, such as foot-prints, cloth- 
ing, stains, pieces of articles, weapons, or other phys- 
ical appearances, are "signs." Evidence by "sign" is 
an important means of proof. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 317 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: PROVING BY EVIDENCE BASED ON "SIGN" 
Tell how you might prove the truth of one of the following assertions 
by means of proof by "sign" : 

1 The fire was caused by a cigarette. 

2 The horse was frightened by a piece of paper. 

3 The class that recited in this room in the previous period 

was a class in algebra. 

4 The thief escaped by a window. 

5 The lost child lay down to rest near the brook. 

6 It was the white dog that killed the sheep. 

7 Some one opened the bookcase and took out some of the 

books. 

8 The boy studied only the third book of Ccesar. 

9 The candy was made in a great hurry. 

10 The man was killed because of his own carelessness. 

PROVE BY TELLING A CAUSE OR AN EFFECT 

You can prove the truth of a statement by telling the 
cause of an event, or the result of an event. 

6 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PROVING BY TELLING A CAUSE OR AN EFFECT 

Prove the truth of one of the following assertions by telling of cause or 
of effect: 

1 Trees planted here will thrive. 

2 Trees planted on the mountain top will die. 

3 The beavers cannot live in this place. 

4 The young man will succeed in college. 

5 The boy will pass all his examinations. 

6 The team has a good chance to win. 

7 The school will be larger next year. 

8 Many new buildings will be erected soon. 

9 He will not become a good violinist. 

10 The new books will not last as long as the old ones did. 

PROVE BY TELLING OF SIMILARITY 

You can prove the truth of an assertion by pointing 
out similarity. 



318 ENGLISH 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PROVING BY TELLING OF SIMILARITY 

Prove the truth of one of the following assertions by showing simi- 
larity: 

1 In some respects electricity acts like water. 

2 A camera is like the human eye. 

3 A telephone is like the ear. 

4 A nerve is like a telegraph wire. 

5 Man is related to the lower animals. 

6 The mountains on the moon were once volcanoes. 

7 If you plant flowers here they will not be disturbed. 

8 He will enjoy his laboratory work. 

9 The audience will enjoy the concert. 
10 The new store will be a success. 

PROVE BY REFERRING TO AUTHORITY 

Whenever you set forward the words of a person of 
genuine authority as support for an assertion that you 
have made, you prove your statement "by authority." 
The greater the reputation of the person whose words 
you quote, the stronger will be your proof, provided 
that the reputation is along the lines indicated in your 
statement. A man may have great reputation as a 
musician, but his assertions concerning science may 
have no value. A man may have great reputation as 
a scientist, but his assertions concerning music may 
have no value. 

8 WRITTEN EXERCISE: PROVING BY REFERRING TO AUTHORITY 

Prove the truth of one of the following assertions by presenting evi- 
dence from a person of real authority: 

1 The new football team will be more successful than the 

old team. 

2 The play will be well acted. 

3 The new school annual will be beautifully printed. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 319 

4 Poe was one of the best of short-story writers. 

5 She Stoops to Conquer is one of the best of English com- 

edies. 

6 The scenery in Switzerland is majestic. 

7 Stevenson's essays have charming style. 

8 The climate of this region was once far different from 

the present climate. 

9 The Gulf Stream modifies the climate of England. 

10 The Indians once lived throughout the United States. 

9 ORAL EXERCISE: PROVING A POINT 
What methods of proof are employed in the following selection: 

". . . My opinion is much more in favor of prudent man- 
agement than of force — considering force not as an odious, 
but as a feeble instrument. . . . 

"First, Sir, permit me to observe that the use of force alone 
is but temporary. It may subdue for a moment, but it does 
not remove the necessity of subduing again; and a nation is 
not conquered which is perpetually to be conquered. 

"My next objection is its uncertainty. Terror is not al- 
ways the effect of force; and an armament is not a victory. 
If you do not succeed you are without resource; for, concilia- 
tion failing, force remains; but force failing, no further hope 
of reconciliation is left. Power and authority are sometimes 
bought by kindness, but they can never be begged as alms by 
an impoverished and defeated violence. 

"A further objection to force is, that you impair the object 
by your very endeavors to preserve it. The thing you fought 
for is not the thing which you recover; but depreciated, sunk, 
wasted, and consumed in the contest. . . . 

"Lastly, we have no sort of experience in favor of force as 
an instrument in the rule of our colonies. Their growth and 
their utility has been owing to methods altogether different. 

"These, Sir, are my reasons for not entertaining that high 
opinion of untried force, by which many gentlemen, for whose 
sentiments in other particulars I have great respect, seem to 
be so greatly captivated. " — Burke's Speech on Conciliation. 



LESSON XL 

DEBATING 
DEBATING IS A PLEASURE- GIVING CONTEST 

A debate is like a game. There are two sides and 
two sets of contestants. As in all games, the side that 
prepares more carefully has the better chance of win- 
ning. In some ways debating gives more pleasure 
than other contests give, for debating is a contest of 
wits, a contest of brain against brain. 

THE FORM OF A PROPOSITION 

Winning a debate rests upon proving your belief 
concerning a general assertion. 

The general assertion, or proposition, that is the 
starting point of a debate, may be expressed in any one 
of three ways: 

1 In the form of a declarative sentence: 

"The people of the Philippine Islands are entitled to their 
freedom." 

2 In the form of a question: 

"Are the people of the Philippine Islands entitled to their 
freedom?" 

3 In the form of a resolution: 

"Resolved: that the people of the Philippine Islands are 
entitled to their freedom." 
320 v 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 321 

AGREE UPON THE MEANING OF THE PROPOSITION 

The proposition accepted for a debate should be 
short, simple in wording, clear in expression, worthy, 
and one upon which evidence can be obtained. You 
and your opponents must agree upon the meaning of 
the proposition as a whole, and upon the meaning of 
every word in the proposition. If you and they do not 
do this, you will debate upon one subject and they 
upon another. 

TELL WHY THE SUBJECT IS INTERESTING 

In opening a debate, tell why the subject is interesting 
and important. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: OPENING A DEBATE 

Imagine that you are to debate upon one of the subjects named below, 
or upon some other interesting and important subject. Define the 
terms employed. Point out the reasons for present interest in the 
subject. 

1 The world should disarm. 

2 All people should support the Red Cross. 

3 Military training is a necessity. 

4 The people of different countries should become better 

acquainted. 

5 Coeducation is successful. 

6 Greek and Latin should be studied in high school. 

7 The people of the United States should learn Spanish. 

8 The Monroe Doctrine should be maintained. 

9 The carrying of weapons should be prohibited. 
10 Immigration should be restricted. 

TELL THE HISTORY OF THE SUBJECT 

Almost any question upon which you are likely to 
debate is, in some ways, an old question. Tell what has 



322 ENGLISH 

been said before concerning the subject, and especially 
what interesting events have been related to it. Do not 
take too much time in doing this, but tell just enough 
to interest your audience and to show the importance 
of the subject. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: TELLING THE HISTORY OF THE SUBJECT 

Give a short oral account of the history of any one of the subjects 
named above. 

FIND THE PRINCIPAL ISSUES 

Finding the issues of a question is the most important 
thing to do in preparing for any debate. The issues 
are the particular points on which you and your op- 
ponents are likely to disagree. They are the points 
that uphold, or disprove, the proposition. If you fail 
to base your debate upon the precise issues of the ques- 
tion, you may leave the field entirely open to the argu- 
ments of your opponent. 

Suppose, for example, that you are to debate upon 
the question: " Resolved: that the Policy of Disarma- 
ment is Practical. " If you plan your debate along 
other lines than the central issue of the question, "The 
Policy of Disarmament is practical, or is not practical" 
you will be likely to lose your debate. That one issue 
is the key to the entire question. 

If you spend your time giving quotations from great 
people who approved the policy of disarmament, or 
who opposed it, you may present nothing to show 
that the policy is or is not practical. You will not talk 
on the real issue of the question. 

Every question centres around one important issue, 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 323 

or two, or three important issues, to which you should 
give your entire attention. 

3 ORAL EXERCISE: FINDING THE ISSUES OF A QUESTION 
What are the issues in any one of the questions given below ? 

1 The members of an athletic team representing a school 

should be obliged to maintain a certain standard of 
scholarship. 

2 Pupils should be assigned no more than two hours of 

home work for one day. 

3 The members of the editorial board of a school paper 

should receive extra credit in English. 

4 As many school honors should be given for literary work 

as for athletic work. 

5 The length of the daily school session should be extended 

so that studying may be done entirely in school time. 

6 Every school should teach commercial English. 

7 All persons should learn shorthand. 

8 Books read in classes in English should be modern books. 

9 Spanish should be taught in every high school. 
10 Shop work should be taught in every school. 

PROVE EVERY POINT 

When you have established the issues of a question, 
you are ready to prepare your debate. Proceed in 
accordance with the principles suggested in Lesson 
XXXIX, proving every point by one of the means 
there suggested. 

DO NOT BEG THE QUESTION 

Do not beg the question, that is, — do not assume that 
you have proved your view of the case when you have 
not proved it at all. Assume nothing, and prove 
everything. 



' 



324 ENGLISH 

DO NOT IGNORE THE QUESTION 

Restrict all that you say to a discussion of the prin- 
cipal issues involved. Do not talk at great length on 
anything that is not closely related to the question 
itself. 

GIVE SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE 

The giving of one piece of evidence is by no means 
sufficient to prove a point. As the old saying has it: 
"One swallow does not make spring. " Give just as 
much evidence as you can give. Prove your case in 
full. Make it altogether evident that your view is the 
right view. 

KEEP TO THE SUBJECT 

If you give an illustration, give one that will empha- 
size the issue under consideration. Do not tell interest- 
ing anecdotes that have slight relation, or no relation, 
to the issues of the question. 

DO NOT GIVE NEGATIVE EVIDENCE 

Do not assume that negative evidence will prove 
positive truth. You cannot prove that a glass con- 
tains sugar by giving evidence to show that the glass 
does not contain salt, or lime, or chalk, or flour, or bak- 
ing-powder. The glass may contain some other white 
substance. 

DO NOT ASSUME CAUSE OR EFFECT 

Do not assume that any condition or event is the 
cause, or the result, of other conditions or events that 
existed or happened at about the same time. There 
may be no relation of cause and effect at all. If you 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 325 

find a horseshoe, and soon afterward have "good luck," 
there is no relation of cause and effect between the 
two events. They are unrelated, although one event 
immediately preceded the other. 

DO NOT ASSUME THAT COMPARISONS ARE TRUE IN 
ALL PARTICULARS 

Do not assume that comparisons are true in all 
particulars because they are true in one. The Russian 
Revolution was like the French Revolution in certain 
particulars, but in many other ways it was very dif- 
ferent. 

WRITE A BRIEF 

When you prepare to debate, write a brief of the 
principal points that you will present. Write the brief 
in accordance with the directions given in Lesson VIII. 

Plan to present all the important points, and to 
present them in proper order. 

THE ORDER OF DEBATE 

If four persons are to take part in a debate, — two 
on each side, — they should speak in the following order: 

1 The first speaker for the affirmative. 

2 The first speaker for the negative. 

3 The second speaker for the affirmative. 

4 The second speaker for the negative. 

5 The speaker who will give the rebuttal for the 

negative. 

6 The speaker who will give the rebuttal for the 

affirmative. 



326 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING RULES FOR A DEBATE 
Draw up a list of rules for the preparation of a debate. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: A CLASS DEBATE 

The members of the class will elect four debaters, two of whom will 
speak on the affirmative, and two on the negative, of one of the questions 
given below, or of any other question that the class may select. The 
teacher and the members of the class will act as judges. 

1 Every high school should have its own playground. 

2 Pupils should furnish their own schoolbooks. 

3 Schools should make use of moving-pictures as a means of 

instruction. 

4 All pupils should study biology. 

5 Increased attention should be given to general track ath- 

letics. 

6 All pupils should study current events. 

7 Every school should have close relations with a college or 

university. 

8 All pupils should be trained to speak in public. 

9 The phonograph should be used as a means of teaching 

literature. 

10 The school vacations should be shortened. 

11 A school should have some form of self-government. 

12 A school should own and operate a school printing-press. 

13 The time for the midday recess should be extended. 

14 Every pupil should learn shorthand. 

15 Credit should be given for work on school teams. 

16 Oral English should be taught in every school term. 

17 School should be closed on exceedingly hot days. 

18 High-school pupils should be permitted to hold member- 

ship in secret societies. 

19 Special privileges should be given to pupils who perform 

services for the school. 

20 The school programme should be so arranged that all 

studying may be done in school hours. 

21 Special rooms should be provided for school clubs and 

societies. 



LESSON XLI 

MAKING A REQUEST 

A WRITTEN REQUEST MUST BE ESPECIALLY CLEAR AND 
COMPLETE 

Do you notice that you are always making requests ? 
You ask permission to borrow books, to be excused 
from work, to have special privileges, or to do some- 
thing out of the ordinary. In nine cases out of ten 
when you make a request you make it orally, face to 
face with the person who has the power to grant the 
request. On other occasions you write your request. 
If you fail to write clearly, you may fail to gain what 
you wish. Even when you write clearly, you may fail 
to carry the conviction that your request should be 
granted. Write a request so that it will be your per- 
sonal representative, so that it will speak for you, and 
win your point for you, just as a good representative 
might do. 

MAKE YOUR REQUEST 

When you make a request, the first thing to do is 
ask exactly what you wish. Go directly to the point. 
Don't beat about the bush. When you have made 
your request, add, if necessary, a few words of explana- 
tion. 

The following note makes a request clearly and em- 
phatically: 

"Please excuse my lateness to-day, and my failure to hand 
in the assigned home work. My mother was sick yesterday 
327 



m 



328 ENGLISH 

and is sick to-day. I had to do the housework that my mother 
ordinarily does. When she recovers she herself will write you 
a note." 

MAKE A DEFINITE REQUEST 

In making a request it is more than ordinarily neces- 
sary to be definite. Tell exactly what you wish. If 
you refer to any date, name the precise date. If you 
refer to money, name the exact sum that you have in 
mind. If you ask permission to do anything, tell exactly 
what you wish to do. If you ask some one else to do 
something, tell exactly what you wish that person to 
do. Do not assume that all your wishes will be un- 
derstood. Ask, in so many words, for everything that 
you wish. 

Here is a definite request that is not likely to be mis- 
understood: 

The members of the Bicycle Club, twenty in number, will 
be greatly pleased if they can obtain your permission to hold 
meetings every Tuesday from three to four, in the lunch-room 
of the school, at a time when the lunch-room is not in use. 

The Bicycle Club has been organized almost a year. From 
its organization to the present time it has held meetings first 
in one room and then in another. This has led many to be 
absent from the meetings. If the club can have a room for 
regular meetings, the Bicycle Club will be a great success. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING DEFINITELY 

Write one of the requests suggested below, or any other request 
that you are likely to make in your daily life. Make your request 
definite in nature. 

1 An excuse for absence. 

2 Information concerning a lesson assignment. 

3 Information concerning back work. 

4 A request for a composition subject. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 329 

5 Information concerning the date of a school debate. 

6 A request for a catalogue. 

7 A request for the payment of a debt. 

8 A petition for a charter for a society. 

9 A request for the list of college-entrance requirements. 
10 Information concerning the date of a college-entrance ex- 
amination. 

GIVE YOUR REASONS IN FULL 

You make a request because you wish informa- 
tion, or the aid of authority, or the possession of 
something of value. Sometimes, when you attempt to 
write reasons why your request should be granted, you 
find that you have too few reasons, or even that your 
request is not reasonable at all. You abandon the 
request and thereby save yourself discomfiture. Do 
not make requests at all, unless you give good and 
sufficient reasons why they should be granted. 

The following request gives reasons why it should be 
granted: 

May I borrow one of your books entitled Experiments in 
Chemistry by Arthur M. Hawkins? Just now it is important 
that I should have the book. I am trying the experiment of 
making sulphuric acid by the aid of nitric acid. When you 
showed me some books last week, I noticed that Experiments 
in Chemistry gives a good explanation of the experiment. 
Please send me the book by parcel post. I shall be glad to 
pay all the necessary expenses, and I will return the book 
within a week. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING DETAILED REASONS 

Make a definite request based on one of the topics named below; 
or on any other topic that interests you. Give your reasons in great 
detail. 



330 ENGLISH 

1 Changing from one recitation period to another. 

2 Permission to drop a certain subject. 

3 An extension of time for the preparation of a school com- 

position. 

4 The use of the school building. 

5 A request for a book of short stories. 

6 A request to leave school before the end of the term. 

7 A request for advanced work. 

8 A request to be excused from staying after school. 

9 A request for a part in the school play. 
10 A request for a recommendation. 

GIVE FULL INFORMATION 

Give the one of whom you make a request all the 
information that he may need. You ask a teacher for 
a recommendation. You will do well to tell the 
teacher just what work you have accomplished. Tell 
when you entered school; when you will graduate; 
what courses of study you have taken; in what study 
you are most proficient; what marks you have attained; 
what work in life you expect to accomplish; and add 
any other information that may aid your teacher in 
writing the recommendation. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GIVING FULL INFORMATION 

Write one of the requests suggested below, or any other request that 
interests you. Make your request detailed and pointed. Give full 
reasons why the request should be granted. Give all the information 
necessary. 

1 A recommendation for admission to college. 

2 A recommendation that will help you to gain a position. 

3 A request for some one to act as one of a committee of 

judges. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 331 

4 A request for some one to act as coach. 

5 A request for a school excursion or field-day. 

6 A request for a list of books. 

7 A request to suggest a name for a society. 

8 A request to write an article for a school paper. 

9 A request to tell where information can be found. 
10 A request to recommend a place for a trip. 

BE POLITE 

One of the best ways to obtain an answer to a request 
is to be polite. Make free use of such expressions as 
"Please," "If you will," "Kindly," "Thank you," "I 
shall be greatly pleased," and any other considerate 
and respectful expressions. 

In making a request there is room for nothing 
except the utmost politeness. Even a second, a third, 
a fourth, or a fifth letter requesting the payment of a 
bill should be polite. 

Notice the politeness of the following letters request- 
ing payment: 

A NOTE TO A FRIEND 

Dear Tom: 

A month ago you borrowed from me $1.50, which you 
promised to pay back whenever I should need it. 

At the present time I am much in need of money. I should 
like you to pay me within a day or two. 

The reason why I need the money is that I am planning to 

surprise my mother with a gift on her birthday. I haven't 

been able to borrow from any one and, of course, I can't ask 

for money at home. You will do me a great favor, if you will 

help me out. „. 

bincerely yours, _^ 

October 19, 1922. J3ert ' 



% 



332 ENGLISH 

A REQUEST SENT AFTER A BILL HAS LONG 
REMAINED UNPAID 
Dear Madam : 

The enclosed account, which has been on our books for 
some time, has no doubt escaped your notice. We shall be 
pleased to receive a remittance in settlement. 
Very truly yours, 

Walter Hopkins & Co. 

A REQUEST SENT AFTER MANY OTHER REQUESTS HAVE 
REMAINED UNANSWERED 

Dear Sir: 

We expected a prompt reply to our recent letter calling at- 
tention to your account, which has been overdue for some time. 

There is no reason, so far as we know, why the account 
should not be settled. Since you have received a number of 
statements from us and have found no errors therein, we as- 
sume that the account is correct and that the amount out- 
standing is long past due. 

Kindly oblige us by giving this matter your prompt atten- 

Very truly yours, Walter Hopkins & Co> 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: BEING POLITE 

Write one of the requests suggested below, or any other request that 
interests you. Make your request as politely and considerately as 
you can. 

1 A first letter requesting the payment of money that is 

overdue. 

2 A second letter requesting the payment of money that is 

long overdue. 

3 A final letter, perhaps a seventh or eighth in number, re- 

questing the payment of money that is overdue. 

4 A request for immediate action in checking a nuisance. 

5 A second request for immediate action in checking a 

nuisance. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 333 

6 A request for a reply to a letter sent some time ago. 

7 A request for permission to hold a picnic on a farmer's 

property. 

8 A request for a change in the course of study. 

9 A request for the correction of an error. 

10 A request for an estimate on the cost of printing the school 
annual. 

TWO REQUESTS MADE BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

„ , ^ Springfield, November 20, 1858. 

My dear Sir: 

I wish to preserve a set of the last debates (if they may be 
called so), between Douglas and myself. To enable me to do 
so, please get two copies of each number of your paper con- 
taining the whole, and send them to me by express; and I will 
pay you for the papers and for your trouble. I wish the two 
sets in order to lay one away in the [illegible word] and to put 
the other in a scrap-book. Remember if part of any debate is 
on both sides of the sheet it will take two sets to make one 

scrap-book. ... __ 

Yours as ever, 

[To Dr. C. H. Ray.] A ' Lincohu 

_, . _. Springfield, November 30, 1858. 

My dear Sir: 

Being desirous of preserving in some permanent form the 
late joint discussions between Douglas and myself, ten days 
ago I wrote to Dr. Ray, requesting him to forward to me, by 
express, two sets of the numbers of the Tribune, which con- 
tain the reports of those discussions. Up to date I have no 
word from him on the subject. Will you, if in your power, 
procure them and forward them to me by express ? If you will, 
I will pay all charges, and be greatly obliged to boot. Hoping 
to meet you before long, I remain 

As ever your friend, 
[To Henry C. Whitney.] A - Lincoln - 



I 



LESSON XLII 

GAINING AN OPPORTUNITY 
LETTERS ARE GOOD MESSENGERS 

"If I only had opportunity I could do just as well 
as any one else. Somehow, luck is never with me." 

Some people go through life worrying and grumbling 
because opportunity does not come to them. They 
forget that they must hunt for opportunity just as a 
prospector hunts for gold. Neither opportunity nor 
gold will come to the person who sits still and waits 
and wonders. 

Well-written letters will aid in the hunt for oppor- 
tunity. They will hurry across a thousand miles of 
valleys and mountains and find the opportunity you 
wish. Those letters must be efficient letters. They 
must be messengers who will say just the right things 
in your favor. 

First of all, like good messengers, they must be 
pleasing in appearance. Second, they must be polite. 
In no way must they offend the person to whom they 
go. They must give their messages quickly, clearly, 
completely, and convincingly. If every letter carries 
a stamped and self-addressed envelope for a reply, 
it will be more likely to bring you an answer immedi- 
ately. 

334 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 335 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING INQUIRIES AND REQUESTS 

Write one of the letters of inquiry suggested below, or any other 
letter of inquiry that you may wish to write. Make your letter short 
and clear. Make it pleasing in appearance and polite in expression. 

1 Write to a professional man, asking him if he will attend 

one of the meetings of a literary society and act as critic 
and judge. 

2 Write to a manufacturer, asking permission for the mem- 

bers of a society to visit his factory. 

3 Write to a publisher and printer, asking permission for 

the editorial board of a school paper to visit his plant. 

4 Write to a college, telling just what studies you have al- 

ready taken, and asking what further studies are neces- 
sary in order to fulfil the entrance requirements. 

5 Write to the manager of a theatre in which a Shake- 

spearean play is about to be produced, asking if it is 
possible for school students to buy tickets at reduced 
rates. 

6 Write to the owner of a picnic ground asking his permis- 

sion to hold a picnic on his grounds. 

7 Write to the managers of a street-railway company, asking 

if it is possible to furnish special cars for the students of 
your school on the occasion of a field-day. 

8 Write to the makers of school pins and school rings, ask- 

ing them to send samples and prices immediately. 

9 Write to an engraver, asking him to send samples, and 

prices, of engraving suitable for commencement week. 
10 Write to a printer, asking him to submit an estimate for 
the publication of a new school paper. Give him all the 
facts that he should know. 

LETTERS OF APPLICATION MUST BE PLEASING IN 
APPEARANCE 

Thousands of letters of application for positions are 
written every day. The best of such letters are neat in 



336 ENGLISH 

appearance, polite in expression, clear in detail, con- 
vincing in effect, and reasonably short. 

MAKE YOUR LETTER COMPLETE 

Make every letter of application complete in every 
detail. Give all the information that you might be 
called upon to give if you were to present yourself 
instead of sending a letter. 

MAKE YOUR LETTER SHORT 

Make the letter complete without making it long. 
Few men will take the time or trouble to read a long 
letter of application. In a first draft of the letter say 
all that you have to say. Then revise the letter, cutting 
out all unnecessary expressions, and making it sharp, 
pointed, and convincing. 

NAME THE POSITION 

In the first part of your letter name the position for 
which you apply. Do not take it for granted that the 
one to whom you make application will know what 
position you have in mind unless you name it. 

TELL YOUR EXPERIENCE 

Tell just what experience you have had that fits you 
to fill the position. Tell where you gained that experi- 
ence, and when you gained it. Instead of using vague 
expressions like "Much," "Sometime," "A long time," 
"Many months," use definite expressions, such as 
"Six weeks," "A year," or "Two years," or "From 
January 6 to May 8." Instead of using indefinite 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 337 

expressions like "In an office," "In such work/' or 
"Near here," use definite expressions, like "In the office 
of McAllister & Company," "As stenographer and 
typewriter," and "In St. Louis." 

TELL YOUR EDUCATION 

Almost any occupation demands some sort of experi- 
ence, training, or education. Give full information 
concerning your experience, your special training, and 
the schools you attended. Tell how long you attended 
every school and whether or not you are a graduate. 
If you took special courses of study in an ordinary 
school, or in a business school, secretarial school, or 
other special school, tell what courses you took and 
how long you studied. 

ENCLOSE REFERENCES 

Give the names and the addresses of people who will 
recommend you for the position for which you apply. 
Do not speak of these people vaguely as "The principal 
of the school" or "One of my teachers." Say "Mr. 
Theodore T. Hurley, Principal of the Brownsville 
High School," or "Dr. Charles Thornton, Head of the 
Department of Chemistry in the Hilton High School." 
It is better still to enclose copies of letters of recom- 
mendation. 



MENTION IMPORTANT DETAILS 

Sometimes it is advisable to name the minimum 
wages or salary that you will accept. If you wish, 
paste neatly at the head of your letter a copy of any 
advertisement that you answer. 






<r 



338 ENGLISH 

MAKE YOUR LETTER PERSONAL 

A letter of application should strongly represent the 
personality of the writer. It is, in a sense, a substi- 
tute. If you were to present yourself in person, 
your manner, your expression, and your voice would 
reveal your character. Do not make your letter 
merely formal and mechanically correct. Write it so 
that it will express your own individual self. 

FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS 

In writing a letter of application follow these direc- 
tions: 

I Make your letter complete. 

1 Name the exact position for which you apply. 

2 Tell what experience fits you for the position. 

3 Tell what educational advantages you have had. 

4 Tell your age. 

5 Make your letter represent your own person- 

ality. 

6 Give the exact names and addresses of people 

who will recommend you. 

7 Enclose copies of recommendations. 

8 Name the minimum payment that you will 

accept. 

9 Enclose the advertisement that attracted your 

attention. 

II Make your letter attractive in appearance. 

1 Use the best stationery. 

2 Write with black ink. 

3 Write neatly. 

4 Leave ample margins on all sides. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 339 

A LETTER OF APPLICATION 

Here is a well-written letter of application: 



WANTED: A young man to assist as office 
boy and helper in a printing office, preferably 
one who wishes to learn the printing business. 
State age and experience, McGraw Printing 
Company, 48 State Street. 

239 East Hanover Street, 
New York City, 
January 18, 1922. 
McGraw Printing Company, 
48 State Street, 
New York City. 
Gentlemen: 

I hereby make application for a position as office boy and helper 
in your printing office. Since I have long wished to learn the 
printing business, I was at once attracted by your "want ad" in 
this morning's Times. 

I am eighteen years of age. I am a graduate, in last year's class, 
of the Horton High School, New York City. 

I have had a good deal to do with printing offices. When I was 
fourteen years old my father gave me a small printing press and 
three fonts of type. This interested me so much in printing that 
I used to go to the office of the Preston Times in Prestonville, 
New York, where I lived at that time, and there set type. I did 
this many days after school hours, and became familiar with all 
the work done in that office. 

When my people left Prestonville and came to New York, I 
kept up my interest in printing. I enclose samples of some of the 
work that I did on my little press. In the Horton High School I 
became one of the Editors of the Horton High School weekly pub- 
lication, The Spectator. Every week I read the proof and made 
up the dummy of the paper. 

I enclose copies of letters of recommendation given me by Mr. 
William Hawes, Head of the Department of English in the Horton 
High School, and by Mr. Henry Jackson, Teacher of English in 
the same school. You may write to either of these. 

1 shall be glad to begin work with you immediately. I shall be 
willing to accept the payment that you are accustomed to give 
for such work. 

Very truly yours, 

Morris T. Warburton. 
Enclosures: 

5 Specimens of printing. 

2 Letters of recommendation. 



340 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A LETTER OF APPLICATION 

Write a letter of application for one of the positions named below 
or for any other position that you can fill: 



1 


Messenger boy 


11 


Checker 


2 


Stenographer and type- 


12 


Wrapper 




writer 


13 


Sales clerk 


3 


Filing clerk 


14 


Office boy 


4 


Bookkeeper 


15 


Demonstrator 


5 


Telephone operator 


16 


Elevator boy 


6 


Order clerk 


17 


Driver 


7 


Electrician 


18 


Chauffeur 


8 


Wireless operator 


19 


Bicycle messenger 


9 


Mechanic 


20 


Envelope addresse 



10 Reporter 21 Hall boy 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: GAINING AN OPPORTUNITY 

1 Write an inquiry, a request, or an application in which you gain 
emphasis by means of brevity. Make your letter complete. 

2 Write a letter of application for a position that you are capable 
of filling satisfactorily. Emphasize the experience and the training 
that you have had. 

3 Write a letter of application for a position that demands a cer- 
tain degree of education, or that demands technical training of some 
kind. Emphasize your education, or your technical training. 

4 Write an inquiry, a request, or an application in which you en- 
deavor to make an impression by a frank expression of your own in- 
dividuality. Make your letter one that will be entirely different from 
the letters written by others. 

5 Write to the principal of your school asking him to grant certain 
privileges to you or to a society whose representative you are. Give 
all the necessary particulars. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: A CONTEST IN LETTER FORM 

All the members of the class will write letters of application. The 
teacher, or a specially appointed committee, will judge the letters on 
the basis of penmanship, neatness, attractiveness, effectiveness of ar- 
rangement, and proper letter form. The best letters will be exhibited 
on the class bulletin-board. 



LESSON XLIII 

PERSUADING 

PERSUASION APPEALS TO THE EMOTIONS 

" Please, please, please let me do it," the child begs. 
Sometimes he wins his point, not because he presents 
an argument, but because he uses persuasion. 

Argument appeals to reason; persuasion appeals to 
emotion. Argument is based upon proof; persuasion 
is based upon personality. Argument leads to convic- 
tion of truth; persuasion leads to action. 

AN EXAMPLE OF PERSUASION 

Notice the lack of argument and the strong emo- 
tional appeal made in the following concluding para- 
graph: 

"It is in vain, Sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen 
may cry peace, peace — but there is no peace. The war is ac- 
tually begun ! The next gale that sweeps from the North will 
bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms ! Our brethren 
are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is 
it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so 
dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of 
chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not 
what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, 
or give me death!" — Patrick Henry. 

SHOW THAT PLEASURE OR BENEFIT CAN BE GAINED 

Not a day passes without your trying to persuade 
some one to do something, — to join you in amusement 
or in work, or to give you a privilege. 

If you are going to persuade any one, you must make 

341 



342 ENGLISH 

a proper appeal. Show that the doing of what you 
wish will give pleasure or benefit to the one whom you 
address. 

As in writing an advertisement, — appeal strongly 
to self-interest, — to the desire to obtain pleasure, 
money, position, power, or reputation, to keep health 
or to gain any advantage. 

1 ORAL EXERCISE: FINDING PERSUASIVE APPEALS 

1 Clip from periodicals, advertisements that appeal strongly to 
self-interest in accordance with the following: 

1 The desire for pleasure. 

2 The desire to obtain money. 

3 Ambition to rise in life 

4 The desire to gain influence. 

5 The desire to keep health or to gain strength. 

6 The desire to obtain anything that will be of personal 

benefit. 

2 Select any advertisement that you think particularly good. 

3 Tell Whether that advertisement appeals to one point of interest 
or to more than one point of interest. 

4 What makes the advertisement effective? 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO SELF-INTEREST 

Write an advertisement, or an editorial article for your school paper, 
or a letter on one of the subjects named below, or on some other subject 
that interests you. Use persuasion rather than argument. Appeal 
to one strong point of self-interest. 



1 


A home chemical outfit, 


2 


A course in shorthand. 


3 


A desk dictionary. 


4 


A State map. 


5 


A set of Indian clubs. 


6 


Snow-shoes. 


7 


Skis. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 343 

8 Home-made candy. 

9 School lunches. 

10 Instructions for electric wiring. 

APPEAL TO UNSELFISH INTERESTS 

Whenever there is a great disaster, — a fire, a flood, 
or an earthquake; whenever there is great need, as in 
famine or wide-spread sickness, or when war makes 
unusual demands, people think of others as much as 
they think of themselves. Some of the strongest 
appeals are made to people's interest in others. Most 
such appeals are based on specific cases. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO UNSELFISH INTERESTS 

Write one of the following appeals. Found the appeal on at least 
one definite example, and appeal strongly to a sense of sympathy. 

1 A schoolmate has been severely injured. Appeal for 

money with which to buy things that are necessary, or 
that will give pleasure or comfort. 

2 On Thanksgiving Day the school will give various neces- 

sities for the benefit of the poor. Write an appeal to 
your classmates, asking for contributions. 

3 A great fire has occurred. Write an appeal asking for 

contributions of food and clothing. 

4 A flood has swept away hundreds of homes. Write an ap- 

peal asking for contributions of money for the relief of 
the homeless. 

5 Urge your classmates to join the Red Cross. 

6 Christmas stamps are sold to raise money for the fight 

against tuberculosis. Appeal for the purchase of 
stamps. 

7 Great sickness has visited your community. Nurses are 

needed. Appeal for volunteer nurses. 

8 A collection is being made for the support of orphan chil- 

dren. Appeal for contributions. 



H 344 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

9 Appeal for contributions in aid of a school for the blind. 
10 The Fire Department has asked for aid in the teaching of 
fire prevention. Appeal for such aid. 

APPEAL TO THE HIGHEST MOTIVES 

A general sense of fair play, of loyalty to friends and 
to country, and of duty in performing the demands of 
life, moves every one. Appeal to high motives, and 
you will gain earnest attention. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: APPEALING TO HIGH MOTIVES 

Write an appeal based upon any of the following suggestions. Appeal 
strongly to the sense of fair play, of loyalty, of duty, or of honor. 

1 An editorial article for your school paper, asking for 

courteous treatment of a visiting team. 

2 An editorial article for your school paper, asking the mem- 

bers of the school to show respect for the decisions of 
an umpire in a coming baseball game. 

3 A letter to a school friend, asking that friend to respect 

the wishes of the captain of one of your athletic teams. 

4 An editorial for your school paper, appealing for the de- 

velopment of loyalty to school. 

5 An editorial article for your school paper, asking the mem- 

bers of your school to cheer good plays made by the 
members of an opposing team. Appeal to the spirit of 
fair play. 

6 One of your friends says that he will resign from a team 

to which he belongs. Appeal to his sense of duty, and 
ask him to remain on the team. 

7 One of your friends is about to withdraw from school. 

Appeal to his sense of duty, and ask him to continue his 
school course. 

8 A good debater, who has been appointed to represent 

your class in a coming debate, wishes to withdraw. Ap- 
peal to his sense of duty, and ask him to represent the 
class in the debate. 



LESSON XLIV 



INTRODUCING 
MOST LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION ARE SHORT 

"This is my friend. I like him very much. I wish 
you to know him and to like him also." 

In substance that is the thought of letters of intro- 
duction. 

As a rule a letter of introduction should be short. 
There is little to say beyond the thought indicated by 
the words that begin this paragraph. 

A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION 



Syracuse, New York, 
June 4, 1921. 
Dear Carl: 

This will introduce to you my friend and schoolmate, 
Henry McArthur, who has just moved to Rochester. 

I have known Henry ever since we were both little chil- 
dren. For some years we were next door neighbors and lived 
like brothers. We entered high school at the same time, and 
we shall both graduate this June. 

Henry is one of the most popular members of the Senior 
Class. He is President of the Class and President of the 
General Organization of the school. 

When he told me that his people were going to move to your 
city, I thought of you at once. I want you two to get to- 
gether. Even if I can't be with you, I shall feel happy to know 
that two of my best friends are also friends of each other. 

Sincerely yours, 

Walter Gordon. 



345 



346 ENGLISH 

INCLUDE ALL NECESSARY INFORMATION 

In the introduction just given you will find the 
following: 

1 The name of the person introduced. 

2 The address of the person introduced. 

3 A statement of personal relation with the person 

introduced. 

4 A summary of common interests. 

5 An indication of the ability and the past work 

of the person introduced. 

6 Personality in expression. 

Most of these points should be present in every 
letter of introduction. 

Give your friend's full name and address, so that the 
one who receives your letter will know of whom you 
speak. Tell of your personal relations with the one 
whom you introduce, so that the person to whom you 
write will somewhat share your own feelings. Tell 
something concerning your friend's ability and past 
work so that you will arouse active interest. Make 
your letter personal rather than formal, so that it will 
be what it ought to be — an expression of personal 
feeling. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION 

Write one of the letters of introduction called for below, or any other 
letter of introduction that you may wish to write. 

1 A letter introducing a good baseball player. 

2 A letter introducing a member of a society to which you 

belong. 

3 A letter introducing a pupil who is about to enter another 

school. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 347 

4 A letter introducing a debater. 

5 A letter introducing a friend who is a collector of stamps. 

6 A letter introducing a friend who is interested in music. 

7 A letter introducing an art student. 

8 A letter introducing a person who is going away for the 

summer. 

9 A letter introducing a good athlete. 
10 A letter introducing a good actor. 

SOME INTRODUCTIONS WRITTEN BY 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Executive Mansion, February 7, 1865. 
Lieutenant-General Grant, 
City Point, Va.: 
General Singleton, who bears you this, claims that he al- 
ready has arrangements made, if you consent, to bring a large 
amount of Southern produce through your lines. For its 
bearing on our finances I would be glad for this to be done if 
it can be without injuriously disturbing your military opera- 
tions, or supplying the enemy. I wish you to be judge and 
master on these points. Please see and hear him fully, and de- 
cide whether anything, and if anything what, can be done in 

the premises. - r , 

Yours truly, 

A. Lincoln. 

This introduces to Gen. Ripley, the Hon. Rob't Dale Owen, 
of Indiana, an intelligent, disinterested and patriotic gentle- 
man, who wishes to talk briefly about arms. . T . , 

t oo loci A. Lmcoln. 

Jan. 22, 1861. 

- r , f>1 . Executive Mansion, October 17, 1861. 

My dear Sir: 

The lady bearer of this says she has two sons who want to 

work. Set them at it if possible. Wanting to work is so rare 

a want that it should be encouraged. 

Yours truly, . T . . 

(To Major Ramsey.) A. Lincoln. 



LESSON XLV 



RECOMMENDING 
BE HONEST 

Absolute honesty is the one great essential of a letter 
of recommendation. To say in a letter of recommenda- 
tion more than you really believe, is not only to be 
false to your own best self, but it is also to do a great 
wrong to others. 

A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION 



497 East 11 Street, 
St. Louis, Missouri, 
Mr. Charles Willoughby, March 14, 1922. 

Managing Editor of The Globe-Democrat, 
St. Louis, Missouri. 
Dear Mr. Willoughby: 

As Editor of the Onlooker, the weekly paper of the Oldtown 
High School, I take pleasure in recommending to you one of 
the members of our present Editorial Board, Ralph Brigham. 
Ralph Brigham is now nineteen years old, and will graduate 
this month. He is one of the best writers in the school, and one 
of the best reporters for the Onlooker. He wrote practically all 
of the news printed in the last nine issues of the paper. He has 
worked for the Onlooker continuously for the last two years. 

Every one of his teachers of English has praised Ralph's 
work. It has just been announced that Ralph is the winner 
of the Barnes Essay medal. 

Ralph wishes to enter newspaper work. If you give him 
anything to do, I know that he will do it well. 
Respectfully yours, 

CHARLES HORTON. 



348 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 349 

Tell the facts in the case, just as they really are, 
without exaggeration, and without concealment or 
evasion. If you exaggerate or give the appearance of 
exaggeration, you weaken everything that you say. 

MENTION MATTERS OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE 

In a letter of introduction, tell the type of work 
done, and the special training and experience of the 
person whom you introduce. Centralize emphasis on 
one point. Make your letter more than a mere general 
recommendation. Make it a recommendation for 
definite work. 

Sometimes you can strengthen your own words by 
telling what other people besides yourself have said 
concerning the person of whom you write. 

MAKE YOUR LETTER PERSONAL 

A personal letter of recommendation will produce 
better effect than a formal letter. 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION 

Write a letter of recommendation for one of the following, or for any 
other person: 

1 A coach for a team. 

2 A football player. 

3 A draftsman. 

4 A piano player. 

5 A scene-painter. 

6 A photographer. 

7 A dressmaker. 

8 A librarian's assistant. 

9 A person who will act as umpire. 
10 A laboratory assistant. 



LESSON XLVI 

BUYING 
GIVE A DEFINITE ORDER 

What a long time it sometimes takes to buy at a 
store exactly what you wish ! 

"No, that isn't it." 

"I want a larger one." 

"I want a different color." 

"Oh, that's too light altogether!" 

How frequently you use such expressions! How 
stupid you think the clerks are ! 

When you attempt to make a purchase, tell precisely 
what you wish to buy. This is necessary enough in 
speaking, but it is a thousand times more necessary in 
writing. 

When you write an order for goods, include in your 
order the most detailed description of what you wish 
to buy. Tell the size, the style, the kind, the color, 
the weight, the catalogue number, or any other bit of 
information that will make it certain you will make 
yourself understood. Give detailed descriptions, or 
enclose samples. 

Name the exact number of articles that you wish. 
Use such words as "One," "A dozen," "A Gross," or 
other expressions that indicate number. 

Name the exact price that you wish to pay, so that 
you will not be given costly goods when you wish cheap 
goods, or cheap goods when you wish costly goods. 

Name a method of payment for the goods. If you 
enclose money with the order, say so, telling in what 

350 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 351 

form you send the money — by check, money-order, or 
in some other form. If you wish the goods to be 
charged to your account, or if you wish them charged 
to the account of any organization that you represent, 
or if you wish to pay for them on the instalment plan, 
say so plainly. 

Name the address to which you wish goods sent, 
in such a way that it will stand out noticeably. 

Give exact directions for sending goods, telling 
whether you wish them sent boxed or crated, by mes- 
senger, by mail, by parcel post, by express, or by freight. 

If you wish goods to be delivered within a certain 
specified time, say so plainly. 

You plan an athletic contest, and you wish medals 
to be delivered before the day of the contest; or you 
plan for a field-day or picnic, and wish supplies sent in 
advance. You will be more likely to receive promptly 
what you order if you tell your wishes and your reasons 
for them. 

Name any enclosures that you send, even if you do 
no more than write at the end of the letter " Enclosures " 
and under that word a numbered fist of the articles you 
enclose. In your list use such words as " Postal order/' 
" Express order," " Check," "Cash," "Stamps," or 
"Samples." 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A COMPLETE ORDER 

Write a letter, ordering any of the following goods, or any other 
goods that you are likely to buy. 

1 A number of baseball bats of different weights and sizes. 

2 A number of yards of dress material of definite texture, 

color, and price. 



352 ENGLISH 

3 A font of type. 

4 Three different kinds of rubber stamps. 

5 A toy for a child. 

6 A lens to replace a broken lens from a pair of glasses. 

7 A number of yards of ribbon. 

8 A number of pennants made in a particular style, bearing 

the name of your school in a certain kind of lettering. 

9 A supply of tickets to be used on the occasion of a school 

entertainment. 
10 Engraved visiting-cards. 

MAKE DEFINITE REFERENCE TO ADVERTISEMENTS, 
CATALOGUES, AND SPECIAL PRICES 

When you order goods that you have seen mentioned 
in an advertisement make some reference to the adver- 
tisement. Sometimes it is best to clip the advertise- 
ment and to paste it neatly at the head of your letter, 
or in the body of the letter, or to enclose it unattached. 
If you order goods named in a catalogue or circular 
that you do not wish to destroy, quote the exact words 
of the catalogue or circular, and tell on what page the 
goods are named. 

If you are entitled to a special price, or to a special 
discount because of any reason, such as making immedi- 
ate payment or having ordered within a certain time, 
name the reason, and the price that you expect to pay, 
so that there will be no misunderstanding. 

TABULATE ALL ITEMS 

When you order a number of different goods, arrange 
all the items in tabulated form so that every order will 
stand out emphatically. Tabulate the cost of the vari- 
ous items, and name the total amount to be paid. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 353 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING REFERENCE, ASKING DISCOUNT, 
AND TABULATING ITEMS 

Write orders for any of the goods named below, or for any other 
goods that you may wish to buy. Refer to an advertisement, circular, 
or catalogue. Ask for special discount, and arrange the items in tabu- 
lated form: 

1 A number of articles of clothing. 

2 Several books for school use. 

3 A number of tools for special work. 

4 Material for a wireless outfit. 

5 Phonograph records. 

6 Typewriter ribbons, erasers, paper, and brushes. 

7 School pins and rings. 

8 Several different sizes and grades of letter-paper. 

9 A large amount of candy of different grades and prices, to 

be distributed at a Christmas celebration. 
10 A number of tennis-balls, tennis-rackets, a net, and a 
marker. 

PARAGRAPH YOUR LETTER EMPHATICALLY 

Divide your letter into paragraphs in accordance 
with the thought. Make a new paragraph for every 
important division. Sometimes it is best to make a 
new paragraph for every one of the following : 

1 The kind of goods. 

2 The tabulation of the order. 

3 The method of payment. 

4 The address to which the goods are to be sent. 

5 Directions for sending goods, 

6 The time when the goods are needed. 

7 Discounts. 

8 Enclosures. 

Short paragraphs show at a glance, and emphasize, 
every part of your order. 



354 ENGLISH 

MAKE YOUR LETTER ATTRACTIVE 

Make your letter neat and attractive in appearance. 
Do not crowd the lines together, nor write lines from 
one edge of the paper to the other edge. Leave ample 
margins at the right and at the left, and also at the top 
and at the bottom of every page. In order to emphasize 
paragraphs leave a noticeable blank space between 
paragraphs. 

USE THE CUSTOMARY FORMS 

The correct heading for a business letter is like the 
heading for any other letter. In the heading give all 
necessary information concerning place, street, number, 
and date. You may use one of the following methods 
of writing a heading: 



483 West Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 
January 23, 1922. 



483 West Avenue, 

St. Louis, Missouri, 

January 23, 1922. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 355 



483 West Avenue, 
St. Louis, Missouri, 
January 23, 1922. 



Give the full name and address of the person or 
firm to whom you address the letter. You may indent 
the address, or you may write it in the vertical form, 
in accordance with the manner in which you write the 
heading : 



Charles Scribner's Sons, 
597 Fifth Avenue, 
New York City. 



James Harrison & Company, 
48 East Hannon Street, 
San Francisco, California. 



If you address an individual, write the salutation as 
follows : 



Dear Sir: 



356 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

If you address a firm, write the salutation as follows: 



Gentlemen : 



Place a colon after the salutation in every business 
letter. 

End your letter without writing unnecessary sen- 
tences or paragraphs. For the complimentary close 
use one of the following: 

Very truly yours, 

Yours very truly, 

Yours truly, 

Respectfully, 

Respectfully yours, 

Do not begin the last sentence with "hoping," 
"trusting," or any other word ending in "ing." 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING AN ORDER FOR GOODS 

Write a letter ordering any of the following goods, or any other 
goods that you may wish to buy. Pay great attention to the paragraph- 
ing, to the neatness, and to the general appearance of your letter. 
Write the heading, the address, the salutation, and the complimentary 
close in full. 

1 Material for a fishing trip. 

2 An assortment of nuts for Thanksgiving. 

3 An algebra and a book of answers. 

4 A set of boxing-gloves. 

5 A number of different kinds of beads. 

6 A set of automobile wrenches. 

7 A chess-board and chessmen. 

8 Some clay for use in modelling. 

9 A number of dolls to be given away as Christmas gifts. 
10 Bulbs for lilies. 






LESSON XLVII 

SELLING 
THINK FIRST OF ADVANTAGE FOR THE BUYER 

It is sometimes more difficult to sell goods than it is 
to buy them, even when what you sell is in demand. 
Since competition is great, he who would sell goods 
must give reasons why people should buy from him 
rather than from another. 

The first principle of selling lies in placing your atten- 
tion upon the other person. Whether in speaking or 
in writing, make great use of the word "you." 

"It is what you need." 

"It will make you comfortable." 

"It will give you pleasure." 

"It will make your work easier." 

"It will help you to make money." 

"It will aid you to advance in your work or profession." 

In order to bring about a sale, prove to the prospec- 
tive customer that he can satisfy his desires by buying 
from you. Make the first part of a sales talk, or a 
sales letter, show that you can meet a genuine human 
need. 

ATTRACT THE BUYER'S ATTENTION 

First attract the attention of the person to whom you 
hope to sell goods. Unusual pictures, large type, 
brilliant colors, and sharp contrasts attract attention 
in advertisements. Unusual statements, short sen-, 

357 



358 ENGLISH 

tenees, short paragraphs, and interesting material at- 
tract attention in sales letters. 

In advertisements, such sentences as the following 
attract attention: 

Coin Spare Minutes into Dollars. 

It Can't Go Off by Accident ! 

Put Yourself in a Bigger Job. 

Have You and Yours Mastered These New Words? 

Save Money! 

This will Save You Money ! 

In sales letters such sentences as the following at- 
tract attention: 

Would you like to lead an easy life? 

Do you wish your summer vacation this year to be the best 

that you have ever had? 
You can make your work succeed ! 
You can learn shorthand within a month ! 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: ATTRACTING ATTENTION 

Write the first paragraph of a letter in which you try to sell any of 
the articles named below, or any other articles that you may wish to sell. 



1 


Cameras 


11 


Tools 


2 


Candy 


12 


Antiques 


3 


Fountain pens 


13 


Mandolins 


4 


Book covers 


14 


Sketching material 


5 


Carrying cases 


15 


Phonograph records 


6 


Magazines 


16 


Hammocks 


7 


Skates 


17 


Reference books 


8 


Note-books 


18 


Uniforms 


9 


Knives 


19 


Flower seeds 


10 


Pocket-books 


20 


Lathes 



EMPHASIZE ONE IDEA 

In any sales letter, set forward only one idea. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 359 

WRITE A FULL DESCRIPTION OR EXPLANATION 

Explain in full exactly what you have to sell. Use 
definite nouns, definite adjectives, definite verbs, and 
definite adverbs that will make the reader see what you 
are trying to sell. 

Explain the advantages the reader can gain by buy- 
ing. If you sell a utensil, a device, or a machine, tell 
exactly what the utensil, device, or machine will ac- 
complish, and why it will give satisfactory service. 

TELL THE TRUTH 

Do not exaggerate. You may succeed in deceiving 
people once or twice, but, in the end, you will lose 
business by making exaggerated or false statements. 
Conscientious statements of truth increase confidence 
and thereby increase business. 

PROVE THAT WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE 

Add some form of proof in support of statements you 
make. Tell what other people have said. Give suf- 
ficient evidence to prove that what you say is true. 

2 WRITTEN EXERCISE: DEVELOPING A SALES LETTER 

Write the second, third, and fourth paragraphs of a sales letter for 
any of the articles named below, or for any other articles you may wish 
to sell. First, write a description or an explanation that will show just 
what you are trying to sell. Add a paragraph of proof, or evidence, in 
support of your statements. 

1 A rubber-stamp outfit. 

2 A portable typewriter. 

3 An electrical outfit. 

4 Bicycle tires. 

5 A musical instrument. 



360 ENGLISH 

6 A book of short stories. 

7 A camping outfit. 

8 Phonograph records. 

9 Small dictionaries. 

10 Gymnasium apparatus. 

ADD PERSUASION 

Near the close of a sales letter say something that 
will persuade your prospective customer to buy im- 
mediately. In the first part of your letter you show 
that you can fill a common need. Then, by descrip- 
tion or explanation, you present what you have to 
sell. After this you give proof, or evidence, in sup- 
port of the truth of your statements. At the close of 
your letter add persuasion — that is, appeal to the 
emotions. 

There are various ways of persuading people to buy 
at once. You may appeal to self-interest, to desire for 
health, or long life, or profit, or personal pleasure. 

Give your customer some definite inducement to buy 
immediately. Offer a premium, or offer to sell at a 
reduced rate, if he orders within a certain time. 

Bring your letter to a strong conclusion, so that the 
last effect will impel to immediate action. 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING PERSUASION 

Write the last two or three paragraphs of a sales letter for one of the 
articles named below, or for any other articles you may wish to sell. 
Say something that will persuade your reader to buy. Offer an induce- 
ment that will lead to immediate action: 

1 A map. 

2 Articles of clothing. 

3 Old coins. 

4 Tube skates. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 361 

5 A stamp collection. 

6 A microscope. 

7 A telescope. 

8 An alarm-clock. 

9 Cuff links. 
10 A desk pad. 

ENCLOSE AN ORDER BLANK 

Make it easy for your prospective customer to an- 
swer your letter at once. Enclose an order blank that 
will leave little for him to do except to write his name. 

ADD A SUGGESTIVE POSTSCRIPT 

Sometimes you will find it worth while to add an 
emphatic postscript that will call attention to the need 
for immediate action. 

Fill the order blank out now. 
Don't miss this opportunity. 
Write immediately, before you forget it. 
Don't forget that you will save a great deal by answering 
at once. 

speae: well of competitors 

Always speak well of competitors or rivals. You 
cannot sell your own goods by talking against the goods 
or the methods of others. Anything that you say 
against a rival, or against goods sold by a rival, may 
react upon you and your business. 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING SALES LETTERS 

In writing a sales letter proceed as follows: 
I Make a point of contact. 

A. Show that what you have to sell fills a 
human need. 



362 ENGLISH 

II Give sufficient description and explanation. 

A. Make your prospective customer see, or 

seem to see, what you have to sell. 

B. Explain just what the article you are sell- 

ing will accomplish, and just how it will 
accomplish it effectively. 

III Add proof. 

A. Give definite proof, in the form of evidence 
or testimonials, of all that you say. 

IV Add persuasion. 

A. Make an appeal to the emotions, or to the 

self-interest, of your reader. 

B. By means of reduction in price, or the 

offering of premiums, give an induce- 
ment for immediate action. 

C. Make the end of your letter particularly 

emphatic. 
V You may write a postscript. 

A. Add a postscript that will leave a strong 
impression upon your reader's mind. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: WRITING A COMPLETE SALES LETTER 

Write a complete sales letter for one of the articles named below, or 
for any other article that you may wish to sell. Show that what you 
wish to sell meets a human need. Make your letter a logical unit. 
Describe the article that you wish to sell. Give any explanation that 
may be necessary. Add some form of proof, or evidence, of the truth 
of what you say. End your letter with persuasion and inducement. 
Add an emphatic postscript. 

1 Accident insurance. 

2 A correspondence course of study. 

3 A violin. 

4 A flag or pennant. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 363 

5 The school annual. 

6 A scroll saw. 

7 Sheet music. 

AN APPEALING LETTER 

The following appeal for membership in the Amer- 
ican Red Cross illustrates many of the principles of a 
successful letter. 



You are urgently requested to renew your membership in 
the American Red Cross. 

Attached to this letter is a renewal notice for yourself and 
every member of your family. Please write the name and ad- 
dress of every member of your household on the attached 
blank and enclose $1.00 for each name, and mail in the en- 
closed envelope. 

Membership buttons and a special Red Cross for your ser- 
vice flag will be mailed you upon receipt of your dues. 

All Americans should enter their names on the Christmas 
Roll Call of the organization so close to the HEART of the 
American nation. 

Fill in the attached blank, tear it off, and mail it NOW. 
Sincerely yours, 

Edward W. Allen, Chairman, 
William E. Taylor, Vice-Chairman, 
A. E. Vaughan, Secretary, 

Christmas Roll Call Committee. 

"ALL YOU NEED IS A HEART AND A DOLLAR." 



Membership Blank 

Name Address. 

Name Address. 

Name Address. 

Name Address. 

Name Address. 






LESSON XLVIII 

ADVERTISING 

ATTRACTING ATTENTION 

"Help ! Help !" you cry when you fall into the water, 
or when you are in danger. Your exclamation is an 
advertisement. You wish to call some one's attention, 
and to cause that person to do something that will 
benefit you. 

There is one great difference between crying for help 
and writing an advertisement. You cry out: "Help 
me!" In advertising you say: "I can help you!" 

No matter how short or how long your advertise- 
ment may be, make it speak of "YOU." 

1 WRITTEN EXERCISE: EMPHASIZING "YOU" 

Write one of the advertisements indicated below, or any other adver- 
tisement that you may wish to write. Make the advertisement point 
to "You," — to the person who will read it. 

1 Lost ! — a fountain pen 

2 Found ! — a pocketbook 

3 Wanted — A position as messenger 

4 For Sale — A set of text-books 

5 Coming — A school play 

6 Wanted — Subscribers to the school paper 

7 Coming — A school exhibition 

8 Coming — A football game 

9 For Sale — Photographs of local scenes 
10 Coming — A gymnasium drill 

364 



ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 365 

"PLAY UP" THE FEATURE 

In Lessons I and II you learned how to "Play Up 
the Feature/' when writing news articles. It is even 
more worth while to "Play Up the Feature' ' in writing 
an advertisement. When you write an advertisement, 
concentrate all your attention on making one feature 
stand out emphatically. 

2 ORAL EXERCISE: "PLAYING UP THE FEATURE" IN ADVERTISING 

Tell what feature you would "Play Up" in advertising any one of 
the following: 



1 


A dance in the school 


10 


A transparent fountain pen 




building 




11 


A pencil case ' 


2 


A debate with another 


12 


An ink eraser 




school 




13 


A composition book 


3 


A Christmas issue of 
school paper 


the 


14 


The typewriting of composi- 
tions 


4 


The school annual 




15 


Tutoring 


5 


A track meet 




16 


Tennis material 


6 


A desk for home use 




17 


Parlor magic 


7 


A book satchel 




18 


Lavender flowers 


8 


Patent book covers 




19 


Sofa pillows 



9 Detachable-leaf note-books 20 A chemical outfit 
MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPRESSION 

When you cried "Help! Help!" your words leapt 
through the air, forcing attention upon every one who 
was near. The words of an advertisement must leap 
through the air and command the attention of even 
the usually careless reader. Your cry made use of a 
very few, short, common words, so used that they made 
an instant impression. In an advertisement use the 
same kind of words, so that they will make an immediate 
impression. 



366 ENGLISH 

3 WRITTEN EXERCISE: USING COMPELLING EXPRESSIONS 

Write a short advertisement for any one of the following, or for 
anything else that you may wish to sell. Make emphatic use of short, 
original expressions that will command instant attention. 

1 A folder for holding manuscript. 

2 Rings for holding manuscript together. 

3 Fountain-pen ink. 

4 Paste. 

5 Pictures illustrating books read in school. 

6 Photographs of famous places in Europe. 

7 A dictionary. 

8 A pocket-knife. 

9 A magnifying-glass. 
10 A pocket flash-light. 

TELL THE TRUTH 

Do not promise more than you can accomplish, nor 
give any misleading impression. Lincoln said that it 
is possible to fool all the people some of the time, and 
some people all of the time, but not possible to fool 
all the people all the time. Dishonest advertising, in 
the long run, reacts upon the advertiser and injures 
him. More than that, it injures every person who is 
in a similar business, because dishonest advertising 
creates distrust. Certain excellent publications refuse 
to print advertisements unless the advertisers guarantee 
that they can fulfil every statement that they make in 
their advertisements. A business house that consis- 
tently advertises the truth and nothing but the truth 
is far less likely to meet with failure than is one that 
advertises in a false or misleading manner. In your 
own writing of advertisements, tell the truth — but 
tell it just as emphatically as you can. 



FOR IMMEDIATE USE 367 

PROVE THAT YOU CAN CONFER A BENEFIT 

Appeal definitely to your reader's desire for personal 
gratification, personal benefit, or personal ambition. 
Give proof that what you advertise will satisfy his 
personal pleasure; his comfort; his love of luxury; his 
desire for ease; his sense of taste, of hearing, of sight, 
of touch, or of smell; or his desire to gain bodily com- 
forts; that it will put him in a position to benefit his 
health or his happiness; that it will help him to gain 
power or prominence, or to give more to his family and 
to the world in general. Make a real effort to be of 
benefit. 

4 WRITTEN EXERCISE: MAKING DEFINITE APPEAL 
Write a sincere and honest advertisement along any one of the lines 
suggested below: 

1 An appeal to love of comfort. 

2 An appeal to the desire for ease. 

3 An appeal to the desire for pleasant tastes. 

4 An appeal to the desire for agreeable sounds. 

5 An appeal to the desire to look at beautiful objects. 

6 An appeal to the desire for pleasant odors. 

7 An appeal to the desire for objects pleasant to the touch. 

8 An appeal to the desire for health. 

9 An appeal to the desire for personal ambition. 

10 An appeal to the desire to benefit family and friends. 

ADVERTISEMENTS SHOULD BE SHORT AND CLEAR 

Make your advertisements short and clear. As in 
your cry of "Help !" say little but say it emphatically. 

5 ORAL EXERCISE: FINDING GOOD ADVERTISEMENTS 
Clip from newspapers or magazines, five advertisements that illus-, 
trate the characteristics named thus far. Tell what good qualities 
every advertisement possesses. 



368 ENGLISH FOR IMMEDIATE USE 

USE MECHANICAL EFFECTS 

If you use large type, or underlining, or capital letters, 
or colors, or pictures, you will increase the effect of 
your advertisement. 

6 ORAL EXERCISE: POINTING OUT EFFECTIVENESS 

IN ADVERTISEMENTS 

Clip from newspapers or magazines five advertisements that make 
good use of large type, underlining, capital letters, colors, or pictures, as 
well as of printed matter. Explain in what way every advertisement 
is effective. 

7 WRITTEN EXERCISE: AN ADVERTISING CONTEST 

Every member of the class will prepare an advertisement on one of 
the subjects named below. All the advertisements will be placed on 
exhibition, and the teacher, or a specially selected committee of jr 
will decide which advertisements are the best: 

• 

1 The next issue of the school paper. 

2 The next issue of the school annual. ' , 

3 The next school athletic event. 

4 The next school entertainment. 

5 The next school social event. 

6 The next school excursion. 



" To every writer, we might say : Be true, if you would be 
believed. Let a man but speak forth with genuine earnest- 
ness the thought, the emotion, the actual condition of his 
own heart ; and other men, so strangely are we all knit to- 
gether by the tie of sympathy, must and will give heed to 
him" 

— Thomas Carlyle. 



INDEX 



Accomplishments, 262 

Accuracy, 288 

Action, 53 

Action, making rapid, 65 

Addison, Joseph, 287 

Adjective, 31, 245 

Adjective and adverbial comparison, 

131 
Adjective clauses, 6, 10, 27 
Adjective phrases, 6, 8, 9 
Adverb, 32 

Adverbial clauses, 6, 10, 11, 27, 28 
Adverbial phrases, 6, 9 
Ad T ertisements, use of, 352 
tising, 364 
ertising contest, 368 
sis, 198 
A raring in paragraphs, 80 
An. uresis, 139 
Antonyms, 125 
Apostrophe, 187 

Appealing to common desires, 63 
Appealing to ideals, 62 
Appealing to reader, 61 
Appealing to self-interest, 367 
Appealing to sympathy, 62 
Appearance, 194 
Application, letters of, 335, 339 
Appositives, 7 
Appreciation, 255, 260 
Argument, 286 
Arnold, Matthew, 147 
Athletics, 22 

Attracting attention, 357 
Attractiveness in letters, 354 
Authority, 293, 294, 318 

Beauty, 285 

Begging the question, 323 

Biography, letter of, 270 

Brackets, 190 

Brevity, 56, 74, 112, 300, 336, 367 

Brief, 100, 325 

Burke, Edmund, 319 

Buying, 350 



Capitalization, 180, 183 

Carlyle, Thomas, 311, 368 

Cause, 25, 28, 30, 118, 222, 230, 317, 
324 

Characters, 50, 51, 66, 229, 236, 250, 
257, 272, 274, 277 

Circumstance, 25 

Class paper, 15 

Clauses, 6, 26, 29, 30, 168 

Clearness, 124, 180 

Climax, 54, 58, 70, 110 

Colon, 189 

Combination of methods, develop- 
ment by, 122 

Comma, 185-6 

Comparison, 28, 30, 116, 131, 133, 
248, 259, 301, 309, 325 

Competitors, 361 

Completeness, 336, 346 

Complex sentences, 169 

Composition, body of, 91 

Conception, fundamental, 222 

Concession, 27, 29 

Conclusion, 68, 93, 171, 172, 175 

Condensation, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 57„ 
165, 177 

Condition, 27, 29 

Confusing comparisons, 136 

Conjunction, 32 

Connecting words, 158 

Connotative words, 244 

Contest in letter form, 340 

Contest in story-writing, 58 

Contrast, 116, 117, 137, 138, 302 

Conversation, 74, 111, 237, 239 

Conversational subjects, 84 

Copy, final, 32, 95 

Correcting, 177 

Criticism, 59, 82, 304, 308 

Curiosity, arousing, 72 

Current interests, 19 

Dash, 188 

Debating, 320, 321, 325, 326 

Definiteness, 328 



369 



370 



INDEX 



Definitions, 103, 223, 312 
Denotative words, 244 
Dependent clauses, 30 
Description, 241, 284, 359 
Details, 11, 29, 57, 114, 232, 246, 252, 

272, 337 
Development, 113 
Diagrams, 219 
Dignity, 286 
Division, 266 

Education, 265, 278, 337 
Effect, 246 

Emotion, 249, 255, 269, 341 
Emphasis, 24, 159, 171, 183, 194, 273, 
285, 286, 295, 302, 306, 314, 349, 358 
Enclosures, 361 
Envelope, 34 
Errors in grammar, 179 
Event, 24 
Evidence, 315, 324 
Exaggeration, 289 
Examination answers, 197 
Example, 92, 218, 292 
Excellence, recognizing, 308 
Exclamation-mark, 188 
Exclamatory sentence, 174 
Experience, 336 
Explanation, 284 
Extended answers, 81 

Familiar subjects, 108 

Feature, 25, 79, 257, 365 

Final copy, 193 

First sentence, 202 

Folder, 195 

Fundamental conception, 224 

Gender, 129 
General interest, 84 
Grammatical opening, 26, 29, 31 

Hearing, 209 

Heroes, 261 

History, 226 

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 225 

" How," answering, 218 

Humor, 37, 38, 40, 285 

Hyphen, 187 

Ideals and aims, 276 
Ignoring the question, 324 
Illustration, 141, 143, 144, 145 
Imitation, 160 
Imitative words, 163, 244 
Important events, 231 



Impression, 241, 279, 365 
Infinitives, 30, 31 
Influences, 264, 267 
Information, first hand, 2, 208 
Information, giving, 215, 330 
Interest, 60, 83, 103, 107, 227, 261 
Interjection, 32 
Interrogation-point, 188 
Interrogative sentence, 173 
Interviewing, 239 
Introduction, 90, 102, 305 
Introduction, letter of. 345 
Investigating, 208 
Irving, Washington, 287 
Issues, 313, 322 

Joke, contest, 40; in illustration of 
serious thoughts, 41; original, 40; 
proper forms for, 38; rules for tell- 
ing, 39; school papers, 35; types of, 
37 

Keeping to subject, 324 

Letter, formal, 34 

Letter forms, 354, 355 

Letter, friendly, 14 

Letter of criticism, 75 

Letter of recommendation, 348 

Lincoln, Abraham, 41, 271, 333, 347 

Lines of inquiry, 211 

Listening, 234 

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 225 

Long subject, 157 

Lowell, James Russell, 225 

Macaulay, Lord, 311 
Main point, holding, 69 
Manner, 28, 30 
Margins, 193 
Material, gathering, 88 
Mechanical effects, 368 
Meditation, 282 
Melodious words, 245 
Mental pictures, 256 
Metaphors, 134 
Modifiers, 127 
Monotony, 303 
Motives, appeal to, 344 

Names in news, 21, 25 

Narrative, personal, 42, 43 

Negative statement, development by, 
117, 138 

News, contest, 12, 13; finding, 23; fol- 
lowing up, 23, 24; game, 4; impor- 
tant, 17; information, 18; interest 



INDEX 



371 



in, 17; newsletter, 14; scrap-book, 
33 ; sources of, 22 ; talk, 14 ; telling, 
1, 2, 3; unusual, 13; news- writing, 
practical, 4 

New York Times, 2 

Note-taking, 89, 213, 238 

Noun, 26, 29 

Noun clauses, 27, 29 

Nouns and adjectives, 245 

Number, 128 

Object, 27 

Observation, 208, 241 
"Only," 126 
Opening words, 33 
Opinion, giving, 288 
Order blanks, 361 
"Other," 132 
Outline, proportion in, 99 
Outlines, 89, 96, 98, 200 
Paragraph development, 113; of sum- 
mary, 121; of transition, 120 
Paragraphing, 178, 353 
Parenthesis, marks of, 190 
Participles, 6, 8, 30, 127 

Past, the, 263' 

Period, 185 

Personal appearance, 277 

Personality, 282; in letters, 338, 349 

Personification, 135 

Persuasion, 341, 360 

Phrases, 6, 167, 168 

Phrasing, 45 

Picturesque expressions, 161 

Place, 25 

Place clause, 27, 29 

Plan, 58; indication of, 105; in story- 
writing, 57 

Point of view, 105, 246 

Politeness, 331 

Position, application for, 336 

Postscript, 361 

Preparation, 237 

Prepositions, 27, 30, 31, 217 

Principal points, 273; emphasis of, 
228 

Problem in narration, 67 

Problem or mystery, 109 

Pronoun, 32, 125 

Proof, 312, 359 

Proposition, 320 

Proving general statement, 92 

Purpose, 28, 110 

Purpose clause, 30 

Purpose in story-writing, 58 

Punctuation, 180, 183 



Question, both sides of, 289 
Quotation, 25, 148-155, 260, 268, 

297 
Quotation-marks, 187 
Quotation, exact, 236 

Readers' interests, 19 
Reasons, 329 
Reciting, 76 
Recommendation, 348 
References, 337 
Reference books, 212, 213 
Repetition, 78, 119, 156, 158, 295 
Reporting, 15 
Requests, 327 
Revision, 94 
Result, 25, 28, 221, 232 
Rhythm, 160 

Sales letters, 359, 361, 362, 363 

School paper, 15 

Section, answering by, 205 

Self-interest, appeal to, 342 

Selling, 357 

Semicolon, 189 

Senses, five, 211 

Sentence, 6, 77, 129; long, 173; short, 
170; structure, 178 

Setting, 49 

Short-story reading, 75 

Sides of a question, 307 

Sight, 209 

Significance of situations, 254 

Significant actions, 273 

Sign, proof by, 316 

Similarity, 317 

Similes, 133, 146 

Single effect, producing, 56, 71, 242 

Situation, 52, 67, 250 

Smell, 210 

Space emphasis, 298 

Specific example, development by, 
115, 148, 181, 296, 313 

Specific words, 243 

Spelling, 180 

Sportsmanship, accounts of, 21 

Standards, 306 

Stevenson, Robert Louis, 43-44, 281 

Stories, of daily life, 48; of the unusual, 
46; to awaken sympathy, 48; two 
ways of telling, 45 

Story and reader, 60 ; five great points 
in, 49; highly imaginative, 47; na- 
ture of, 42; story-telling, purpose 
in, 46 

Style, 160 

Subject, 27; announcing, 102; history 



372 



INDEX 



of, 104, 321; lists, 86; note-book, 
95; opening, 26; subjects close at 
hand, 83, 84, 85, 283 

Subordination, 90 

Suggestive words, 162, 243, 244 

Summary, 121, 206, 234 

Superscription, 34 

Supporting thoughts, 235 

Surroundings, 251 

Sympathy with characters, 61 

Synonyms, 124 

Tabulation, 352 
Taste, 210 
Test sentence, 87 
Testimony, 259 
Thought emphasis, 299 
Time, 25, 253 
Time-clause, 27, 29 
Title, 193 



Title-page, 195 

Topic sentence, 113, 204, 218 

Touch, 210 

Transition, 120 

Treatment, uniform, 94 

Truth, 16, 56, 64, 226, 238, 359, 366 

Unpleasant words, 163 
Unusual, the, 107, 258 

Variety, 140 
Verb forms, 129 

" When," answering, 216 
" Where,*' answering, 216 
"Why," answering, 220 
Wonder, 284 
Word definition, 223 

"You," use of, 364 









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